What lies beyond happiness?

The magical energy of flow

Stars Wars: The Force Awakens made me happy. I was happy to see a director at work that has a talent for showing both action and human emotion. I was happy that the screen writers had a command of the English language. I was happy that the preposterous Jar Jar Binks didn’t make an appearance.   My happiness watching the film largely subsided after it was over. It gave me a great ride, but my happiness was a transitory experience based on circumstances. It involved me consuming something that required little from me. Nothing wrong with that, but it got me thinking about today’s blog question. 

When I’m creating art, it is a very different experience than watching a movie.  What is surprising to me is that the creative process does not make me feel “happy.” Instead, my sense of self disappears, an intense concentration deepens my involvement and time stands still. Some may call these indicators "flow," "subspace" or "the zone."  This deep involvement doesn’t require feelings to keep me on track with what I’m doing. I've entered into something larger than myself; a universal consciousness. For reasons I don’t entirely understand, this process begins to positively change the way I think about myself and those around me. Anyone can have similar experiences of "flow" in a wide range of contexts. 

I believe that it takes something deeply involving  to change us. This simply doesn't happen when we are focused more on consuming what's around us vs. engaging with it. What lies beyond happiness? Beyond happiness is a deep connection that brings magic to our world: by making old ways of thinking disappear and replacing them with a level of awareness that is greater than ourselves.  Will we chose to consume or connect today?

You can share your moments of flow by clicking on the follow link on this page in the upper right corner next to Google + and commenting below. 

Is someone's view of the world wrong or just different?

Like landscape vistas, world views are diverse

Today’s blog question was inspired by a visit to my local art museum. There was a docent leading children through a Georgia O’Keefe exhibit. I observed the docent ask a child what they thought about a painting. “I think that looks like ice on a vanilla ice cream cone,” smiled the child. The docent replied, “No, that’s not ice. There wouldn’t be ice in an arid climate like this.”  

The connection that the child made between the art and their own experience was awesome. That’s really what art is all about: Engaging your imaginative participation through the lens of your life. How sad to see this squashed by an adult who sent the message that your view of the world isn’t right.  This mind set that says my view is right and yours is wrong has much broader implications than simply interpreting art in a museum. It has led to the polarization of our culture in areas like religion, politics and corporate life.  In our own lives, we need to reflect on how we engage people with questions. Do we seek to understand someone’s view of the world or are we quick to dismiss it because it’s different from ours?

How do you see art?  You can comment when you join the blog by clicking on the follow link in the upper right corner next to Google +. Thanks for reading!

How can a tragedy become an opportunity to create beauty?

Fiery destruction becomes winter wonderland

How can a tragedy become an opportunity to create beauty?   I have explored this question on an artistic and personal level.  As part of my art, I have taken photographs in two areas that were devastated by fires. The first was around a reservoir where I was riding my bike. From the trail, you could see a row of blackened trees and grass with the water in the background. I took a picture and  imagined ice instead of fire. With a simple adjustment, I was able to reverse the appearance of black and white in the photograph to create a magical winter scene.  This photograph became the cover art on my website’s home page.

Out of the ashes, there is hope

I did a photo shoot with a male model in an older burn area that had some vegetation regrowth.  There was a gully where a number of trees had fallen across it. In the bottom right hand side of the image, there was a single sunflower, which was taken as a sign of hope. This landscape became the inspiration for the narrative of my photography/poetry book, Male Nude: Hero Myth of the Masculine Journey. The antagonist in this story is a sun demon burning villages throughout the countryside. 

On a personal level, my community has undergone numerous tragedies. I know people who have started non profits, ran support groups and engaged in the political process for the first time in response to them.   While we may never fully understand why these horrific events happen, we can bring honor to the people and things we have lost by our response to them.  The beauty comes when we choose to reach out and see difficult circumstances as opportunities to help others.  The alternative is to do nothing and become lost in hopelessness and despair. How will we choose to respond?

If you like discussions like this, you can follow us on Google + by clicking the follow link on the upper right hand side of the blog.  You can then add to this discussion by commenting below.

Will you answer your calling?

Comfort of the familiar or call to adventure?

Frederick Buechner once said that your calling in life is when your greatest joy meets the world’s deepest need.  For example, maybe someone had a loved one in Hospice in the past. Years go by and now there’s a still quiet voice inside encouraging that person to volunteer with them. There’s a great need for compassionate end of life care. This person answers the call and gets joy out of helping others.

When we leave our comfort zone to pursue something unfamiliar, fear can easily settle in. Some may attempt to drown out that quiet voice that calls us to do something bigger. The pursuit of money is one way people do this and the many faces of addiction are another. It often can take something dramatic in our lives to refocus our attention to it.  This is what the story of Jonah being swallowed by the “great fish” is about. Jonah refuses his call and spends three days in the belly of the whale. He is then vomited out three days later, being reborn to his purpose.

Mythology can teach us about our calling today. These stories have a common theme: The hero is called to obtain something that will be used to help others. We are on the same journey. Monsters of the past are the injustices of today; swords, acts of compassion. Will we answer the call of our lives or not?  Our answer to that question determines the type of person we choose to be. 

If you’re interested in how I represent these themes in my work, you can view the photography slideshow,  Male Nude: Hero Myth of the Masculine Journey here. You can follow us on Google + by clicking the follow link on the upper right hand side.  Thanks for reading!