Great points on change, Duane. Thinking of what was, is, and will be especially with the change of seasons the past several weeks from Winter to Spring. The calendar and reality tell vastly different stories. I like your final points about it being "easy to appreciate your work for what it was. It's not hard to appreciate it for what we hope it will be. But the challenge of every maker is to love it in between."
This got me thinking of a Zen story of 2 monks arguing about seeing a flag moving in the wind. One monk says it's the flag moving and the other monk says it's the wind moving. A senior monk happens by and says, it's neither - it's your mind moving. Perhaps the past and future are the flag and the wind. Now is the mind...in your example maybe this is the love in between both past and future. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Neil. One of the great Zen stories for sure. It's potentially even richer, in that nothing is static. Nothing is still. Everything is shifting is slow increments of starts and fits. Everything is an event. Perhaps it's more a matter of learning to love the movement.
Hace tiempo que adoro los cambios, es verdad que no todos son los deseados pero los considero como un paso más en el camino hacia adelante, una forma de no quedar estancada. En los procesos creativos los cambios, pruebas, errores son para mí la mejor forma de aprender.
Love all of this. I have to keep working to remember not to forget—sometimes the deepest magic is waiting in the dark, in that hollow stretch between where you were and where you haven’t yet arrived. *Also! If I weren’t a poor artist, I’d buy everything you make.
"sometimes the deepest magic is waiting in the dark, in that hollow stretch between where you were and where you haven’t yet arrived." - What an absolutely gorgeous line! Thank you so much for this!
I wish it wasn’t the case, but that’s exactly the way it goes. And it usually happens immediately after we think we’ve got it figured. Thanks so much Parker!
Change is both destructive and creative and I sometimes find myself dancing on the barbed wire (razor wire) of enjoyment versus the pain of the process. But, if there was no change, we wouldn’t make amazing discoveries. Or learn.
It’s all about the work. And looking back to see how far we’ve come.
My mantra on today’s long run was “nothing stays the same”. When it’s hard it will get easier and when it’s easy, enjoy the moment cause it’s gonna get hard again.
Thanks Mark! It’s a constant tug of war, a never ending ebb and flow, and yet I’m still surprised to find how little I’ve managed to get used to it. Trying to come to terms with it with a greater degree of equanimity. Thanks again!
You write so eloquently about the art making process without using the word art. That word can be like a thorn in our maker's side. Removing it takes the sting out of the process.
Thank you so much Hannah! For me the words are ‘art’ and ‘artist’ are often laden with so much burden and baggage, so much weight and pressure, that rather than try to look for ways to make them easier to or lighter to carry, I look for ways to lay them down. Thanks again!
Great points on change, Duane. Thinking of what was, is, and will be especially with the change of seasons the past several weeks from Winter to Spring. The calendar and reality tell vastly different stories. I like your final points about it being "easy to appreciate your work for what it was. It's not hard to appreciate it for what we hope it will be. But the challenge of every maker is to love it in between."
This got me thinking of a Zen story of 2 monks arguing about seeing a flag moving in the wind. One monk says it's the flag moving and the other monk says it's the wind moving. A senior monk happens by and says, it's neither - it's your mind moving. Perhaps the past and future are the flag and the wind. Now is the mind...in your example maybe this is the love in between both past and future. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Neil. One of the great Zen stories for sure. It's potentially even richer, in that nothing is static. Nothing is still. Everything is shifting is slow increments of starts and fits. Everything is an event. Perhaps it's more a matter of learning to love the movement.
"Now is the mind."
.
There's so much still to discover about consciousness. A beautiful mystery.
Absolutely!
Wow
Thank you!
Hace tiempo que adoro los cambios, es verdad que no todos son los deseados pero los considero como un paso más en el camino hacia adelante, una forma de no quedar estancada. En los procesos creativos los cambios, pruebas, errores son para mí la mejor forma de aprender.
Creo que tienes razón. El cambio es a menudo la mejor manera de aprender y crecer, pero a veces también es la más difícil.
Love all of this. I have to keep working to remember not to forget—sometimes the deepest magic is waiting in the dark, in that hollow stretch between where you were and where you haven’t yet arrived. *Also! If I weren’t a poor artist, I’d buy everything you make.
"sometimes the deepest magic is waiting in the dark, in that hollow stretch between where you were and where you haven’t yet arrived." - What an absolutely gorgeous line! Thank you so much for this!
We figure life out a little and then it spins things around on us. Great pictures. Awesome post, Duane.
I wish it wasn’t the case, but that’s exactly the way it goes. And it usually happens immediately after we think we’ve got it figured. Thanks so much Parker!
Change is both destructive and creative and I sometimes find myself dancing on the barbed wire (razor wire) of enjoyment versus the pain of the process. But, if there was no change, we wouldn’t make amazing discoveries. Or learn.
It’s all about the work. And looking back to see how far we’ve come.
I’m dancing right there with you. I’ve got teh bloodied feet to prove it, lol. Thanks so much for reading!
My mantra on today’s long run was “nothing stays the same”. When it’s hard it will get easier and when it’s easy, enjoy the moment cause it’s gonna get hard again.
Timely thoughts - thanks for these.
Thanks Mark! It’s a constant tug of war, a never ending ebb and flow, and yet I’m still surprised to find how little I’ve managed to get used to it. Trying to come to terms with it with a greater degree of equanimity. Thanks again!
You write so eloquently about the art making process without using the word art. That word can be like a thorn in our maker's side. Removing it takes the sting out of the process.
Thank you so much Hannah! For me the words are ‘art’ and ‘artist’ are often laden with so much burden and baggage, so much weight and pressure, that rather than try to look for ways to make them easier to or lighter to carry, I look for ways to lay them down. Thanks again!