To Age 100: Live Today Deliberately

When my third daughter was born at my age 50, I thought how wonderful it would be to live to age 100. To see how her life matured into age 50 would be quite a Journey. I understood that to some degree, I had to do certain activities like Art activities in the present working years instead of in some future planned retirement. What if I didn't make it to those years. We never know our own timeline. We can only live today, in the moment, and make the best of what today has to offer. That perspective changed my enduring view and my daily priorities.

After about 90 days in a new job, new company, new role-responsibility, I have been brainstorming about what my next year should be about occupationally. But avocationally, I also have been thinking about how my Artistic Endeavor should, will, or ought to inform my life's outlook.

So in Living the Moment this morning, a bearded character of distinctive visage was sitting at a cafe table scribing notes. The South Station timepiece was in the background. A setting for Father Time. The result fit my thoughts and perspective. This Art is Living the Moment. Perhaps it is Painting the Future.

Daily Sketch: To Age 100 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Reflection: Light After the Storm

"Art becomes a spiritual process depending upon the degree of commitment that you bring to it. Every experience becomes direct food for your art. Then your art teaches you about life" - Nick Bantock

That is how I feel on this day of reflection. That spiritual benefits such as "insight into life's meaning" accrue from commitment to a purpose. But I always come back to the resolution that I must Live the Moment.  And that focusing one's life energy on the important things through a disciplined, day-by-day journey is one of the keys to happiness, fulfillment, and reaching one's Unique Potential.

The most beautiful and dramatic light in the sky and clouds above comes after a storm.

Original Photo: Light After the Storm - Copyright James E. Martin 2011

No. 1: Positive Beats Negative: Unique Potential - Art is Like a Pair of Jumper Cables

Today is Sunday. Traditionally for some, a day of reflection and introspection about who one is in the realm of larger things.  And so it is for me today. A listening to the Inner Voice.

The Journey of Completing 120 Paintings to learn about the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit starts with the first painting, Number 1. I am going to suggest that I completed that first painting four months ago.

Herein are two energetic tales connected four months apart. In this exposition, the end comes before the beginning. I shall entitle the first tale "The End" as you, dear Reader, shall soon discover why.

The End. On March 14 of this year, my wife was working late at the office. When she went out to start her vehicle to return home for a late dinner, the battery was dead. She noticed that an interior dome light may have been left on for a protracted period, perhaps even due to the daytime play of our beloved five-year-old daughter who enjoys pretending play in the car in the driveway at home with open windows and her dollies placed and buckled in the carseats. My wife ruminated that was the cause. She called me and I ventured downtown to offer an assisted start with well-known black-and-red jumper cables. We were able to get her home for a late dinner in a fairly straightforward manner.

After use, I placed the cables on the front passenger seat of my vehicle. The next morning, when I transported my very observant five-year-old daughter to day care, she noticed the cables and asked "What are those, Daddy, Chomper Cables?" That expostulation tickled my fancy! But where did that come from? 

I surmise that she had heard her parent's phone conversation the night prior and not knowing the details of the event in her innocence, had kept her quiet repose at the time but had attached some thwarted meaning to partially heard words with which she had no prior experience. She held any commentary in reserve at the time. When she was able to visibly see the cables the next morning, however, it all came together for her. Her memory of the conversation was immediately assisted by the now visible objects draped over the seat in front of her declaring their ferocity with copper teeth and she was able to attach her word label to the event. See for yourself. The interface clamps ARE armed to the teeth in an anthropomorphic sense. Jumper cables. Chomper cables. I get it.  ;o)

Original Photo: Chomper Cables - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

In March 2012, I was attempting to move towards understanding the discipline and effort required for a Daily Painting initiative. No small feat amidst a busy schedule of multi-tasking and numerous projects on my To Do list. The above-mentioned photo was a still life arranged by me after the comic event to instill some artistic meaning to those recently humorous anecdotes into otherwise mundane objects utilized in our daily lives. One of the genres I have noticed about the Daily Painting initiative is that the artists may select objects or scenes from their daily lives to practice their skills, approach, or develop a style. The genre clearly and concretely illustrates their Creative Pursuit while expositing the stories and script of their world perspective, their life's Journey and therefore their Artistic Endeavor.

Original Painting: Chomper Cables - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

It was a different experience for me as well to document this rather simple anecdote and potential memory in this manner. As the Reader will note in my now re-constituted blog history, I stopped my daily art blog entries two days later on March 16 and, at the time as I thought best, removed the history from the web. Too much going on at the time with some critical events that required my complete focus and attention. Art was laid aside. The blog was laid aside. Perhaps as a permanent decision. It was a sad day for me. "Chomper Cables" was my last painting in my first 90-day period of ramping up to an un-declared Daily Painting initiative. It was my end. So now, dear Reader, we shall return to the the second related tale.

The Beginning. I have been thinking recently about re-starting my art journey with some trepidations. I intend to re-frame the next part of my artistic journey by declaring to myself to paint 120 paintings to pattern my progress in a new phoenix. Of course, it's obvious that the declaration is now shared and is not at all a private one. The saga continues.

Last week offered mid-summer seasonal hot weather and high humidity. As I was dropping my young daughter off at day care, I returned to my vehicle and it groaned a bit at start-up. I got it back home to the driveway in prompt recognition of the matter and attempted two more ignition starts in a safe haven and it failed to turn over at the second try. I needed a new battery.

My dear wife had been up late at home and again early with work-related endeavors, and we agreed that I would use her vehicle that day to share a breakfast at a local restaurant, and I would drop her off at work and use her vehicle to settle my battery replacement endeavor. Sounded like a great plan. Later, I proceeded to a well-known department store to acquire a battery but they no longer carried the items in inventory. Darn. I left the store to proceed to another well-known department store that surely must have the desired item. Unfortunately, my wife's vehicle failed to turnover at start-up in the parking lot heat with what seemed to be a dead battery. No pre-indicating symptoms! Just a clicking of the solenoid. Yikes. Two vehicles down and now far from home.

I purchased a 350-amp quick starter from the department store hoping it might just offer enough margin to get me going. No such luck. Requires 48-hours of charging to enable effective use as per nominal warnings and instructions. Rather than call emergency roadside service, which by the way we have, and wait for an indeterminable time period for rescue in the heat, I decided on a Plan B to walk the perceived considerable distance to a known battery store, lug the battery home, and at least get my first vehicle going. I could return later to revive the second vehicle.

As I started out on my journey homeward in late morning, admitting to myself that I didn't really have any otherwise truly urgent business to attend to or to re-schedule and could work this solution at my discretion, lo and behold, there was an unanticipated battery and tire store in the proximal area. Returning to Plan A to get her vehicle restored, I purchased a battery for my wife's vehicle, borrowed some jumper cables from the friendly store manager, and proceeded back to my wife's vehicle in a rather short stroll to execute a jump start without changing out the battery per se. It didn't work. I tried everything, checked my assumptions, and then tried it again. I went into the department store and bought a couple of tools to change out the battery, surmising that perhaps the cable interfaces needed cleaning. I switched out the batteries to no avail. The vehicle wouldn't start. Could I possible have an even worse and more expensive problem with her vehicle? Although it crossed my mind that the new battery might be defective, I concluded that it was a quite remote probability. But the clicking solenoid and general car symptoms were sure acting like a weak battery. I called my reliable car mechanic to see if there was anything I wasn't thinking about. He affirmed that I appeared to be covering all the possibilities.

I decided to return to Plan B and get my vehicle at home repaired. I set out to walk the journey in the heat, taking some water bottles with me, and called a neighbor for a possible transportation assist to pick me up, purchase a new battery, and get me home to switch it out. The neighbor was able to assist after a food shopping maneuver and eliminated a long potential walk for me with some of it lugging a heavy battery. I revived my car late afternoon and returned to revive my wife's vehicle in early evening. My vehicle promptly jump-started her vehicle with our reliable chomper cables.

Yikes! I had been given a potentially defective new battery. What are the chances of that? What are the chances of three bad batteries, one of them brand spanking new, in the same morning? After starting my wife's vehicle, I returned the defective battery, had it tested, pronounced defective by competent authorities and calibrated measurement devices, then replaced the unit, and all was back to normal with two now operating vehicles after a long day's endeavor.

The Moral of the Stories. Of course, dear Reader, this a somewhat round-about long story of two interconnected, jumpered tales to get to the moral. You have been so patient with me to get this far in the stories. My last completed painting was four months ago of a pair of "chomper" cables where "Positive Overcomes Negative". I deliberately and literally put away the paints and supplies. Four months later, I started thinking about reviving my commitment to the art blog and Daily Painting activity, and I encountered three dead batteries in one day!  The chomper cables were involved but weren't the main character in the second story. The tale of "A Defective Energy Source" is one of remote probabilities not daily occurrences.

Perhaps the morals of the stories are tried and true. (A) "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again."; (B) "Check your assumptions and run them to Ground [pun intended]"; (C) "Carry emergency and rescue equipment with you"; (D) "Don't Ever Give Up the Ship"; (E) "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed".

But all in all, I would like to think that Painting Number 1: "Positive Beats Negative" is where I would prefer to start my "120 paintings" journey of discovery. It is therefore an Alpha. But it is also an Omega. It is where I left off "Once Upon a Time...." [and all good stories start that way...].

I am not yet ready to declare for myself that the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit are my sole reliable energy sources. To be realistic, I think that assertion would be a potential defect in my overall energy commitments and understandings at this time. But I have concluded that Art is a jumper cable in my life's path. It is a very important part of how I see the world around me and is part of that perspective. It connects the energy sources that I tap into and that I have relied upon and keeps the energy flowing among the necessary imperatives. And it is therefore required in my vehicles. And I have concluded that Art, in the form of the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit, needs to be ready, available, used frequently, displayed, talked about, drawn, painted, and represented as a part of myself in my Daily Walk and in my Life's Journey. No. 1: "Positive beats Negative" is part of my Unique Potential. Now that's a decent moral to the stories. The moral is "Art is like a pair of Jumper [Chomper] Cables". It helps definitize one aspect of Unique Potential. Who would have guessed that I would learn these things over four months after painting a fairly mundane, straight-forward, serendipitous painting? And that I needed to deliberately lay Art aside for a time to find that I could not Leave It Be unless I would deny Self. Not me, to have planned these things, please be assured.

The journey of 120 paintings begins. My eyes are wide open and my ears unstopped. My legs are a bit weary and unstable but I will put one foot in front of the other. My heart and mind are in it. I am "chomping" at the bit. Ouch.

The Creative Pursuit: A Personal Lens to Focus Life's Energy

I have given some extended thought to what I think the elements are in the Creative Pursuit. For me, this is a model, a construct that works for me currently, that can be discussed and talked to, and can be grown and adapted over time. It's been helpful to me because when things go wrong in my Artistic Endeavor and Creative Pursuit, I can reach back to these elements and perhaps figure out the Causes and Effects. As you can observe from the list of elements, they become very personal and indicative of the Self. In not any particular order, I propose that the elements of the Creative Pursuit are:

• Beliefs
• Values
• Vision
• Drive
• Exploration and Experimentation
• Serendipity
• Encouragement
• Inspiration
• Awareness of one's Comfort Zone (Gifts, Talents, Knowledge, Ability, Skills, Experience, Habits)
• Stretching Outside One's Comfort Zone
• Freedom and Openness
• Increasing Affect, Feeling, and Emotion
• Introspection
• Leveraging Outside Influences
• Mentors and Coaches
• Competition
• Unlock Restraints
• Minimize Stifles
• Minimize Fear
• Manage Critiques
• The Forge
• The Crucible
• The Fire

The bottom line is identify and utilize these resources and approaches to focus one's Life Force and Energy into expressing Self in creating the Original Artifact. The Creative Pursuit is not unlike finding and developing a personal Lens that collects and intensifies the necessary energy to steer towards a particular intended result to make the Artistic Endeavor most productive. If one's Self energy is not focused or is dissipated, a less satisfactory result occurs in the Artistic Endeavor or doesn't occur at all.

Perhaps, Dear Reader, this "model" of elements will be helpful to evaluate either your own Creative Pursuit supporting your Artistic Endeavor or the observations you have of other Artist's results or potential. How each of us pours these elements into our process and manages them determines the type of Lens we have for our own use at any given time.  We can individually compare and contrast to observe effectiveness.

There is more to be exposited for many of these elements, of course, but I share them today as a seed to be planted.

The Creative Pursuit: Driven Through Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water

We are Human and we are Artists.

We are of the Earth and return to dust, born of Water, cast about by the spirit Winds, and walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death lit only by daily Fires scattered among the Ruins of Chaos. We desire Light amidst the Darkness to establish Order from Chaos. We want to rise up, accomplish much, and Have something different. Which requires that we Be something different. Which requires that we Become something different. Which requires positive Change.

We are Artists and have been given to Believe that if we live our lives in the Artistic Endeavor through the Creative Pursuit, we will attain our ultimate and final Unique Potential which is the reason to Be and the reason to Become. Therefore we shall Create. We must Create to achieve our Unique Potential. We are driven to Create.

But what of Talent? Thinking of the biblical Parable of the Talents, we should avoid burying our one or two or five or ten Talents. To not use the talents we have been given? To Not Do? Oh, the horror! Could we even live with ourselves, never mind others with us? We pay the Price of Sacrifice to create or the Price of Regret to not create. To the biblical adherents, we are then guilty of failing to increase our Talents. There is something inferred here about the Accumulation of Wealth and Worth through Producing. As servants of the absent Master, we may incur His wrath when he returns after having given us those apportioned Talents.

Maybe I won't ever call my artifacts "Masterpieces" to maintain an appropriate position and posture of humbleness. Maybe if I call them "Talent-pieces", I can assuage some guilt. And maybe it is true that I have been given only one small Talent while others have been given many. What am I to do with that one? Bury it and endure the consequence?

And so the Daily Walk continues. It's like pushing a heavy bag of gold coins uphill in the dark in the similitude of Dante's Inferno. But I hope for inspiration and strength from above and outside myself. Illumination along the way. A clear head illumined with the right thinking. I fear the green of envy in my Hoarding consumerism and the red fires of hellish judgment for falling short in so many things along the Spendthrift way. I need focus for my Life's Energy to direct my hands and feet to trod the path and work the works in so short a time that is left. I am out of breath in only the thought. So I am Living the Moment at Idle Acres. Methinks I am leaking gold coin along the way to accumulating Wealth and Fortune. It is a transient farce.

"Now canst thou, Son, behold the transient farce, Of goods that are committed unto Fortune, For which the human race each other buffet; For all the gold that is beneath the moon, Or ever has been, of these weary souls, Could never make a single one repose. 'Master', I said to him, 'now tell me also, What is this Fortune which thou speakest of, That has the world's goods so within its clutches?'" Dante's Inferno Canto VII, lines 61-69

From Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise

Wealth and Fortune - The Transient Farce - Study 01  Souvenir of Dore

Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Art is the human Act of Creation. As humans, we Endeavor through our efforts and wish to have Control for their direction. We desire to have a Voice and speak our World View. We desire to Live Forever. We desire to Overcome our average and ordinary limitations. We desire to avoid living and dying into Obscurity as if we had never been. We are tempted perhaps to lead and have followers. To Build something special. Oh, the many Temptations and Desires that lead us astray from our Endeavors!

The Creative Pursuit and the Artistic Endeavor involve the design and the making of a never-before Artifact springing forth from the unique life experience, observation, insight, heart, mind, soul, and hand of the Artist in a moment of Time. No other soul can truly replicate it because the Artist is THE source of the artifact's creation. It's the grand ah-ha in the eureka moment of inspiration.  It's the grand ha-ha in the divine comedy. Beware the comparison and the contrast!

It is a type of assertion that "We can be as gods" or even that "We can be God". We can create from nothing. We make Light from Darkness. Our Light is separate from the Darkness and our Light will keep Darkness away. It's the eating of the fruit from the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We see what others cannot see and hear what others cannot hear. We walk among the invalids. We are the Genesis.

And who are we that reply against God in this audacious Artistic Endeavor? No small matter then that two of the ten Biblical commandments are "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Warnings and admonitions indeed!  How auspicious then that the Artist might say to the Maker, "Why hast thou made me thus?" as the hand of the potter upon the clay.

As mortal humans, none of us escapes crossing the deathly threshold between Time and Eternity. The work of Art may persevere after our earthly stay is finished and it can no longer be replicated or edited by our hand. Are the artifacts of Art a way to cheat Death by leaving a part of ourselves behind? We can still influence and inspire others through our Works even after we no longer remain in the flesh?  We can be as gods and have a semblance of immortality and truth. People will still talk about us and think about us. We can escape Ignominy. Few knew who Van Gogh was in his day. Look and see his works now. It's a kind of worship with pilgrimage to his haunts.

What of the natural man and the spiritual man? What sayest we in these roles? We are guilty of creating images and likenesses of things seen in heaven and earth. That's fairly self-evident. The natural man wars against the spiritual man. Yikes. Perhaps in different degrees among us. Perhaps in different flavors between us. But Yikes.

Each moment we lay hand to brush to paint to canvas, we create. We speak our Voice. We wrestle with principalities and powers. We wrestle with things unseen as yet. We dream dreams. We wrestle with natural and divine things. We suffer slings and arrows. We take arms against a sea of troubles. We attempt to oppose and end them through our creation. We would like to end the heartache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. And perhaps, there is something in us that declares we may someday be capable of a masterpiece. To express Self. Now are those consummations devoutly to be wished?

If we choose not to lay paint to canvas, we are destined to live and die in Obscurity and Darkness. It's as if we never were. Our personal Darkness will be on the face of the deep. The creation will be without form and void of our Creative Pursuit and Artistic Endeavors.

This Daily Walk is an auspicious and audacious Journey through the natural and spiritual realms. Artists are driven in a unique manner. So I commit to tread lightly but deliberately. And prepare for the coming Judgment.

Today is the Leap Day of the Leap Year. An extra day apportioned in the plan to catch up the clocks for Timekeeping. Given time, can we paint our future, I ask?

A JEM Model of Attribution: (I) Impressions to (J) Journey to (E) Expressions

In many of the art manifestoas that I have reviewed, Freedom of Expression is consistently asserted. I have been recently wrestling with a model of assertions that expands and explains the influence of potential freedom for the Artist. There appears to be a lot of debate, sometimes vehement, sidling close to arrogant and downright hostile, about what Art is, who is an Artist and who is Not An Artist. I find the dialog compelling.

From my humble perspective, I would hypothesize a model of approach to art in a three step phase approach: (1) The Impressions, (2) The Journey, and (3) The Expressions. Remember this for the end of today's entry, OK? To anyone who is methods-oriented, this aligns to an "Inputs-Process-Outputs (IPO) descriptive model. To clarify with different nomenclature perhaps more from an Artist's vantage point of what happens at each phase, I offer a restatement of the three steps: (a) Artistic Insight, (b) Artistic Formulation, and (3) and Artistic Exhibition. Insight, Formulation, and Exhibition, in my opinion, are closely related not just to the development of the Original Artifact but are also closely associated with the Artistic Self. Also, I would further submit that the Journey to Originality for the Artist is also about distinguishing Self from Others on the road to achieving one's Unique Potential.

Now, I offer an added definition layer to the onion skin with an emphasis on each component's contribution to the Artist's prime directive of Originality as a result of Freedom exercised at each phase of artistic execution, therefore:

The Journey                     Description                                    The Output
The Creative Pursuit          Concept Innovation for Originality    Artistic Insight
The Artistic Endeavor         Develop Approach for Originality      Artistic Formulation
The Original Artifact          Attraction of Others to Originality    Artistic Exhibition   

The purpose of citing a possible model approach is not necessarily to prescribe a three step "process" to producing art although it may serve to provide a very high level menu approach. Rather, for me, it is a descriptive summary and consolidation of many different observations and anecdotes about artist's Worldviews and Perspectives about how they approach their endeavor. As a working hypothesis, I can utilize this model of thinking to fit scenarios and anecdotes as an instrument to evaluate Differences in Worldviews and Perspectives. I want to investigate whether there is a model approach than can embrace the various artist experiences in all their complexity.

I personally am interested in exploring (A) Freedom in Artistic Insight during the Creative Pursuit, (B) Freedom in the Artistic Formulation during the Artistic Endeavor, and (C) Freedom in Artistic Exhibition through the Artist's Creation of the Original Artifact. I am further interested in how Art has an impact on and can Change the World. Or how it has historically changed the world.

Going forward, I intend to sign my artwork with my initials "JEM" which, of course, attributes the work to my heart, head, and hand. But I also intend those initials to signify "Just Every Man". The rationale herein is to understand the human experience and human nature through the experience of Art and to understand what it means to Change the World through the practice of the Creative Pursuit, the journey associated with the Artistic Endeavor, and the impact on the Artist and the Viewer due to the creation of the Original Artifact. Without disrespect to gender-biased language use, it is about "Just Every Man" to be inclusive in generic use of the term with respect and diversity.

Further, going forward, I intend to sign three letters after my initials signifying my personal relative emphasis on each of the three aspects of the work described in this blog entry denoting Impression/ Journey/ Expression, upper or lower case to signify emphasis, i.e. "IJE" or "ije" or "Ije" or  "iJe" or "ijE" or "IJe" or "iJE" or "IjE"....eight possible combinations.  Individual works may have more Life Force and Energy associated with the Insight, Formulation, or Expression phases of my creation of that particular Artifact. I will denote that sense of my perspective. For instance, I may conduct a painting after a long hike to locate the correct motif and perspective with more innovation and emphasis on the immediate observation in nature but with lesser regard for innovating in the selection of media or the time spent on the developing the artifact itself because of the need to expedite it due to environmental conditions. I might sign that Original Artifact "JEM-Ije". On the other hand, I may execute a work from a photo or a still life arrangement where relatively little emphasis is on the Insight or the Formulation of approach but much more emphasis is placed on the Expression of the idea in the development of the Original Artifact itself...the painting style and details to accomplish the desired end result. I would sign this Original Artifact "JEM-ijE".  Based on feedback over time, I may have some insights to share on the JEM model, the Artist, and the Viewer perspectives about Art. Could be fun.

The Best of Friends: A Mentor of Stuff n'Such

Every year during the summer, we have taken some time to coordinate a visit with long-time friends in Sangerville Maine on a lake called Center Pond. When I was an undergraduate in college out in Illinois, I became friends with one of my college professors and worked for him and his family doing some construction projects in Illinois or in Maine. Over time, we became best friends. In fact, Bob has defined for me what a best friend is about and that hasn't always been easy for me...a very private and independent person. Bob is chuckling now.

A few years ago, I decided that I would do at least one piece of art each year during the time that I went up to Maine. In my mind, it would be imperative for me to do SOMETHING at SOMETIME no matter what other activities or imperatives might be at hand...and it hasn't always been easy. One of my first Impressionistic waterscapes was At the Lake, Sangerville Maine. I remember the challenge of the wind changing the waves, the clouds, and the light so quickly. I was able to experience where the Impressionists in France would then try to capture the feeling associated with the essence observed of the motif based on the exact moment's accidental experience captured during the artist's en pleine aire session. Looking North with a late afternoon sun in the west and wind from the east, I tried to capture the churning of the water and the light filtering through the shallows with the late sunlight backlighting the tree's at high level but the low shrubs at water's edge shrouded in cool, dark shadow. My vantage point included left foot on the beach and right foot in the water so there is a bright and warm sun and a coolness in the wind and water challenging each other and me.

Original Art: At the Lake, Sangerville Maine, Copyright James E. Martin 2009

For all those past thirty years of visiting Maine, through my eyes, Bob Cassidy, my friend and mentor, has always done some creative artistic thing in some shape or form. I don't think he ever really retired after finishing his occupational endeavors because he soon emphasized his art full-time and got a street-side studio.....Stuff n'Such in Illinois. I have been fortunate to have Bob as a mentor in that I have seen him develop over a long period of time as an artist, he has given me insight into the lifetime curve years ahead of my time to arrive there. I am watching his art career emerge and evolve because his example as a lifetime learner has helped me see what it is to return to one's roots, understand one's self, find one's center of balance, begin and walk the artistic endeavor, and follow the creative pursuit even amidst adversity and life's challenges. He is still asserting self expression with an intense personal drive to continue his art journey each and every day with a sense of urgency. And he has such a wonderful family that I have been privileged to know and love.

Thank you Bob for showing me that I have an Artistic Endeavor and a Creative Pursuit to accomplish during my life's Journey and the deep satisfactions that are possible. I just talked with Bob and he filled me in on his art accomplishments conducted today and his outlook for the near future that he needs to get done. He is a fine example of the artist Living In The Moment and ambling through the Daily Walk. Here's to achieving one's Unique Potential this day.

The Creative Pursuit: Who are We in the Cacophony of Larger Events?

We live in what may be the greatest of times. Just imagine for a moment the tantamount number of souls across human history that have experienced only hunger, poverty, famine, ignorance, disease, violence, war, fear, tyranny, bondage, oppression, and obscurity. Have we really considered, personally and corporately, the end result of the lack of freedom and venue in the world to BECOME somebody special and noteworthy based on who you are or who you want to be? Have our conclusions, our thinking, and our actions truly influenced how we behave and decide in the moment? What has humanity not attained, gained, or retained as a result of the spirit of darkness that suppresses or ignores the achievement and recognition of individual creative expression? How should we position ourselves and posture our artistic efforts amidst the clamour, chaos, clutter, and noise that might drown an emergent pure and sweet song?

Throughout all the ages of humanity, each soul has lived their allotted time on this green earth. Each individual is framed by their geneological roots, born to a time, germinated in a country, fostered by their family, shaped by their culture, and handed their talents. We are born of water and return to dust. We do not choose these foundations.

Yet, each of us has a Unique Potential based on our foundations. No one else in all of humanity has been given our particular and marvelous formula of attributes. By deliberately and purposefully selecting the direction for and application of our life's force and energy, we can execute activities in Time to leverage our talents, increase our knowledge, grow our abilities, develop our skills, and add to our experiences. We can share ourselves, connect, and inspire others. Perhaps it can be asserted that the fulfillment of the human spirit is in achieving one's Unique Potential along life's journey.

We may live in obscurity. Or we can endeavor, with providential wisdom, discernment, and guidance, to live our lives in a creative pursuit, to study, follow, and emulate those who have gone before us, to make our own contribution and legacy through personal hard work and concerted effort, to innovate with our mind, our heart, and our voice, and therefore to make our individual mark with our own destiny to scribe upon the recording of world history.

 Manifestoa: My recommended position and posture is this.....Let us each, then, resolve to march forward today and each moment thereafter, with deliberate design intent, finding our own purposeful way and manner, running the race that is set before us, overcoming obstacles and limitations, emanating the joy and happiness of our own melody and light, respecting the value of others, embracing the diversity around us, connecting and sharing for the greater good, absorbing and reflecting the influence from the communities that surround us, making a joyful noise and dance, resonating the harmony of many voices that influence who we are, and thus create our individual Masterpiece upon the timeline of humanity.