The Migrating Artist

“We migrate, too.  We follow the Muse instead of the sun.  When one crop is picked, we hit the road and move on the next.”

-         Stephen Pressfield

Whether it is a new idea or endeavor, the artist frequently moves from one thing to the next.  The continual movement of the artist looks erratic, impulsive and poorly planned. 

Perhaps it is.

Yet the artist also knows that staying too long is impossible.  Just as soil cannot sustain the same crops through all seasons, inspiration cannot be mined without end at one local.  If the artist stays too long (past the point of insightful discovery) they find themselves in a sparse land.  Fruit no longer bearing.

When the place we have dwelt (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) no longer offers any creative edge in which we, the artist can dance, it becomes time to journey on.

Moving with the Muse takes courage.  It takes a deep level of self-awareness and a high inner-understanding to know when it’s time to dig deeper and when it’s time to pack up.  This discernment is not an easy task and it takes risk.  If the artist digs deeper and there is nothing discovered, the only thing excavated is their own insanity.  And if the artist moves on before it was time, then unfinished business becomes their new companion.

The complex nature of the migrating artist is not something to fear or something that can be easily distilled into simple terms.  Rather, it is to be seen as what is.  Migrating, wondering, and discovering are what it means to follow the Muse.

What an incredible journey before us.



Prophets and Poets

"The world does not believe in newness.  It believes that things must remain as they are.  Shalom affirms that in a world of kings, prophets must be heard and taken seriously; that in the world of technicians, the voice of the poet is essential for the humanness of our world.  That is where the church might take its stand.  We are in danger of silencing the prophets domesticating the poets, and squeezing out the sources of newness among us.  This danger implies an agenda for the church.
Obviously it is easier to state such an agenda than to bring it off.  But that is the hard place where the crucifixion-resurrection people have always been called to be.  It is the tension between those who dream about what is yet to be given in God's promises and those who manage what is already possessed.  And surely that is what our best Reformation heritage is about: that we do not live by what is possessed but by what is promised."

- Walter Brueggemann, Peace p.133

The Brickyard

I’m not sure what kind of work you are in.  Maybe you are a school teacher, marketing exec, contract laborer, professional athlete or stay-at-home parent.  Regardless of vocation we all experience the trappings of the Brickyard.

The Brickyard is the monotonous place of production without realization or gratification.  The Brickyard is focused on maintaining the status quo for sake of the bottom line.  There is no need to be creative within the Brickyard for our role is already laid out, planned, and neatly organized (no need for free-thinking beings in the highly regulated brickyard).  The Brickyard gives the allure of safety but steals our individual identity.  Demands and quotas are the only incentives in the Brickyard. 

In the Brickyard, industry thrives at the expense of our humanness.

The myth of the Brickyard is that if we work hard enough, complete the latest project, or do as we are told it will finally pay off.  Yet it never does.  There are always more bricks to make and more walls to construct.

Walter Brueggemann writes, “the brickyard is a place of hopelessness.  Not only must we produce for the others, but there is no prospect, not in our wildest imagination, that things are ever going to change.  There will never be enough bricks to meet the quota”.

Sadness and despair set in where we lose our creative imagination for what life may bring.  Life is viewed as “the daily grind” - something we try to get through and survive, rather than a gift that is anticipated and received.

Stepping outside of the Brickyard takes courage and faith.  Courage to stand up against the managers and systems that relish in holding to the company line and faith, that when reach out in trust, the Divine reaches back.  The choice for you and I is simple:  choose between those who say, “Make more bricks” or the God who says, “Let my people go”.

'Beginning'

Watercolor  22"x30"

Polar Bears In the Desert

Polar Bears don't function well in the desert (shocker, I know). Why? It is a simple issue of environment.

Polar Bears are simply not wired to operate in the desert. This is not an indictment on the Polar Bear nor is it an indictment on the desert (just ask the Gila Monster...they love the desert). It is a question of right environment.

You can be a skilled worker, full of valuable insight and ideas, but without the right environment (co-workers, job description, resources, etc) you may find yourself stalling and frustrated. You may even be a loving and caring parent, but when the life and household of the family are out of order you may find your patience tested beyond what you can handle.

Pursuing the right environment may sound selfish, but the effects reach far beyond mere individual benefit. When you are in the right environment your co-workers thrive because they get your best ideas. When you are in the right environment at home your children thrive because they get your full attentive self.

When the environment and it's inhabitants are in sync an amazing thing happens...the entire ecosystem thrives.

So please, pay attention to your environment. Ask yourself, "What are the conditions I need in order to be the best doctor, store manager, or parent I can be?" Then, seek out that environment; work to create an environment that allows you to thrive and do what you do best.

Van Gogh ReMixed

One of my son's assignments in art class this year was to create his own rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Night. So, in typical "boy fashion" my son re-mixed Starry Night into a sweet fire-breathing dragon epic of awesomeness.

If the wisest king in all of Israel was correct (and there really is nothing new under the sun) then we need to become masters of the re-mix. We need to learn from what was done before and allow it to inspire us to create something new.

Bike Riding Donkeys

Remember the game "Telephone" we used to play as children?

A group of children sitting in a circle; one thinks of a phrase like "Fuzzy monkeys like yellow bananas", whispers it into the ear of the child sitting next to them, and then that child whispers it to the next until the phrase goes all the way around the circle. The last child says out loud what they were told:

"Busy donkeys bike with bandannas"

Everyone laughs because they realize that's not what the 1st child originally said. It's a great illustration on how communication breaks down when it gets passed around from one person to the next; each time traveling further from the source.

It's hilariously funny with a group of kids at a party, but terribly destructive with adults in everyday life. When we pass along misinformation and misunderstandings we contribute to the breakdown of trust in relationships. This happens at work, in families, and in our friendships. Being a trust-worthy and life-giving person means that instead of calling others, you dial the source directly.

The next time you hear something that you are curious about, sounds a bit off, or you need clarification on, don't pass it along the circle...go to the source, assume the best, and you just might be surprised at what you actually hear.