today’s read is more words, less visuals and yet, still all about the art. check out the voiceover or the podcast version if that’s your thing. as always, enjoy.
let’s flashback a bit. it’s 2004 and i’m about to graduate from high school. i have plans to head off to the pacific northwest to pursue a career as a firefighter/paramedic. in typical teacher’s pet fashion i head to each of my favorite teachers from over the years to say goodbye and offer my yearbook for signing. one such encounter stands out more than the rest.
i was standing in front of the teacher of my sophomore a.p. english lit class as they sat at their desk, grilling me on my future plans. when it became clear to them that i wasn’t headed to a four year university, opting instead to attend a junior college for my technical degrees, they leveled me with a point blank stare and said, “what a waste.” they went on to qualify their statement with points such as you were such a strong lit student and you had so much creative potential. why all the past tense, i’ll never know. regardless, their point was made.
it was in that moment i realized my non-traditional education decision would be seen as less than in the eyes of some. a waste of talent. i’d love to say that i’d had a witty comeback at the time, alas i did not. what i did have was strong conviction that i’d made the right choice and, to this day, that still stands. why?
because that decision led to experience. multiple life changing, and mind expanding, experiences. moments i wouldn’t have had, had i not pursued something some considered beneath me, not challenging enough or just plain out of the norm.
now don’t get me wrong, i’m aware it’s very possible i could’ve encountered similar happenings, just with different timing. who’s to say it wasn’t the very cadence encountered though, whether it be the age i was or the people i met, that made these adventures what they were? or even led to the life progression that came next?
after all these very decisions and the journey they produced thus far have brought me to art and back to writing. it’s the living i’ve done, and continue doing, that catalyzes my creative process(es).
without life, what is art?
it’s the life lived that fosters perspective and opinion in an artist. whether that be a physical brush stroke or a prompt provided to an a.i. software. an artist’s unique perspective is what sets their art apart. in my case, you’re seeing my up-to-this-moment-life smooshed up and teased out through the compositions i produce. that includes…
the childhood making mud pies in the mojave desert sun while my grandma tended her tomato garden and taught me all about tomato worms.
the first batch of college years with many a late night or early morning running emergency calls on two lane highways and moonlit logging roads.
the early 20’s spent at the literal bottom of the earth fighting not-so-many-fires, but seeing the pristine perfection of our planet and dreaming of what it means to be a speck in our universe.
the last decade finding my way after the passing of multiple loved ones and stumbling upon, then grasping completely, a life in technology and art.
the last year, launching myself into a new journey, reflecting on past travels to over half the continents and realizing my desire to meet the people who inhabit them all.
today, as i write this, sitting beside my love knowing i’m right where i’m meant to be. recognizing that ultimately, this is all there is.
all of that, and so much more than i can convey with words, flows into and out of my art. it’s my life, all encompassing; and now, it also includes you.
i wouldn’t have gotten here, in this way, if i had done the expected.
so i’ll keep flowing and following the path of what’s sometimes not and see what experiences arise from it. i can’t wait to create that art once i do.
if you enjoyed this, please hit the 🖤 and help others discover my writing + art. thank you for reading and / or listening this week.
do you have questions or comments? i welcome them below.
see you wednesday!
⚫️✨
btw, here’s a favorite song from a favorite album of my childhood self. think hammer pants and a walkman dancing around in the mojave desert.
love this 💕
I’m glad you made all the choices you did so we could be family. ♥️