Day 15 of Lent, and I Am Up To Something
Beauty is a weapon, for sure. It refreshes us, it raises our conscious levels of thought. This is why original art can deeply affect your life. Think of it: you bring an image into your space, and it lives with you, daily giving you whole minutes of something different and elevated to think about. Over the weeks, months, and years, those minutes add up.
Not only that, but original art makes the spaces where we live out our stories come alive. Literally adding color and texture to our ordinary days.
The making of a piece of art is an act of deliberate generosity.
Here’s how I’ve been spending my “Middle Day”, this week:
This is just the block-in. Just a quick iPhone video - because I want to show you. And a little bit of something shared is better than a whole lot of nothing shared at all.
What you see here is something like the 3rd iteration on this canvas. I have big feelings about it - finally, I am resonating with what on it. I look forward to (hopefully) finishing it this week.
2021 and beyond belongs to (all the various and sundry) makers. I just know it!
“All art is an act of faith — a faith that life itself, with all its tragedies and flaws, can be improved by creating something new and putting it out into the world. I’m not sure we’ll ever go back to what life was just a few months ago, but I do have faith that artists will remain a crucial part of whatever new one we come up with.” (MH Miller)
Day 14 of Lent - I Aspire to Inspire
The crave to make is wired into all 37 miles of nerves that branch through every part of our body from top to toe.
I aspire to inspire you to be more of the maker you are.
as·pire/əˈspī(ə)r/: Verb 1. Direct one's hopes or ambitions toward achieving something.
in·spire/inˈspī(ə)r/: Verb 1. Fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.
It is my dream and my ambition to fill you - yes, you personally and specifically - with the urge to do something creative, and to feel something sweet. If I can do that with excellence, I can die happy (someday) a long, long time from now.
Where does inspiration come from? Think about that, because it is a great question. The etymology of the word means to "breathe in Spirit". Obviously, I think in terms of Genesis, when God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and he became...
Man became.
Before you can become anything - really become it - you have to be inspired. You must inhale the atmosphere of eternity. All inspiration comes from God. There are many avenues and means to be inspired, but the source is God, always.
You see, He does not grow weary because He does not grow bored. He is intensely interested in flowers, cooking, birds, motherhood, gardening, marriage, business, art, writing, and grand babies. He continues to maintain every created thing simply by the power of His word, and He delights in all of it, but most especially in the children of men.
If He were to take just a thimble-full of His passion for His creation, and pour it into your heart, you would be inspired to make for a lifetime.
About ten years ago, I asked Him if I can, please, be His thimble.
The rest is history. And present. And I prophesy that the rest is also the rest of my life.