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Back To the Drawing Board

5/18/2022

after George Inness

"Drawing used to be a civilized thing to do, like reading and writing. It was taught in elementary schools. It was democratic. It was a boon to happiness." -Michael Kimmelman

I've started in on a fresh series of landscapes. The best way to start this sort of adventure is by looking. The best way to see what you are looking at is by drawing. And the best way to study is by looking at what others who've gone before have made.

So, I'm happy to be back to the drawing board at the very beginning of something I've been working at for many, many years. Keeping a beginner's mind is a helpful way to approach almost anything.

This summer, I'm offering an online foundation course in drawing and watercolor for absolute beginners and for anyone willing to assume a beginner's mind. Need a helping hand to start or get back to your own practice? Join us!

Stay tuned for more drawings.

“Drawing makes you see things clearer, and clearer, and clearer still. The image is passing through you in a physiological way, into your brain, into your memory - where it stays - it's transmitted by your hands.” —David Hockney

Shed Your Skin

5/10/2022

Yes.

You are perfect just the way you are

and there's always room for improvement.

It's a human contradiction. But it's true for all living structures on our pretty planet Earth.

The ground is warming up. It's snake season. If I were a snake and my skin had become too stretchy or laden with parasites bugging me, I'd shed my skin. Begone! It might take some effort but molting is probably not that big a deal to a snake. I read that it's more stressful than painful because the snake is vulnerable during the molt. This makes sense.

Being human, I have habits of mind and behavior that obstruct the way of my personal growth. These obstructions really bug me. The more they bug me, the more power they seem to gain. Habits of mind and behavior (worth losing) can loom large and feel almost impossible to drop.

What if, in fact, habits of thought and behavior are as easy to drop as an old sweater? What if we're just giving power to habits so that we can stay safe (in a comfy little rut), or abdicate responsibility (for ourselves), or are so used to feeling powerless that any other way of feeling seems impossible?

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
— Leo Tolstoy

There's a full moon coming up next Monday, the 16th. From what I understand, the full moon is a perfect opportunity to drop what no longer serves us and accept the power to make structural changes in our lives that can allow us to alter the course of our path a bit and feel better. Everyone knows (don't they?) that if we feel better within ourselves, it naturally follows that we can help others feel better, too.

It's the Flower Moon of May. Maybe her light can clarify your situation a bit so that you can see better and help you change your perspective. Change your perspective, change your reality.

What if the greatest journey of your life has yet to begin? Anything is possible. Some journeys are launched with just the tilt of a head. Try looking at yourself a little differently, at life a little differently. Put one foot in front of the other, do the next right thing, and wonder what new magic life might hold in store.

My suggestion is that you mark this full moon by deciding what it is you're going to shed. It's not a bad idea to write out your musings on paper and then write down (with intention) what it is you're deciding to shed. Then let it go. Burn the paper if you have to.

The power of a full moon is usually in session three days before and three days after the apex.

In preparation, you can spend some time collecting items for the trash or give away. It's absolutely true that clearing out physical clutter leads to clearing psychic and emotional clutter.

Make like a snake and shed some skin. Figuratively, of course. It couldn't hurt.

Back To the Drawing Board

Shed Your Skin

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