Thought for The Day - Crumble

That's about what I would like to do with my "exterior" life. I've read the book "The Artist's Way" a few times and I've come to realize, I have a problem with "playing." Not playing video games, chess or going out for a walk - though that is more like work than play. I don't relax and allow the art to flow! I can produce great work, I love the colors and textures and doing the "work," but there is a mental block that implies I have to be serious about it and that art should become a replacement for my job. There are some mental shifts and changes I need to make and while I look forward to a change, and can imagine how I will be, getting there - especially through the process  of "playing" - it' a mystery!

I know we are trained from childhood, to be responsible adults; to a certain extent, we spend our adult life "pretending" to love working. And in the moment, I am quite envious of those who have discovered a way to balance "play" with "work" to the extent, none of 'us' know which they are doing. But what I don't know is how I will relax this outer shell to be one of those individuals! I have my moments, I can sit and draw or paint, have a great time in conversations, but at some point, in the back of my head,  a clock ticks louder, indicating it's time to get back to work.

No solutions or suggestions in this entry, just me talking.

Growth

Transition

Progress.

Thought for The Day - Like a Child

You don't have to teach children how to play and pretend. And when you spend time with them, you can teach them to be responsible. Children can play all day and when they pretend to be like us adults, they are better at being adults than we are.

I have found in my life that I turned my back on a great deal of innocence and as a result obedience to my God given talent. I have heard it said, being an artist is more about being a warrior than anything else. You have to fight against everything you know to take responsibility for exercising your creativity. The world, via parents and authority figures, teach us to be responsible and "stop playing." We are told nothing good can come from "spending all your time, playing." I learned the lesson well; too well. It's easy to wash dishes, load the washer, dryer, fold clothes, run errands and such. But when I hear that small voice saying "let's play" (translation, "let's paint") I can think of something else that needs to be done. Or worse, being an adult, I'm always tired. And how does an adult, who has worked all day, spend their time? They sit in front of the television, allowing fun to "happen."

I would like to believe all is not lost; their is a reassurance from God's word that, in this moment, gives me hope. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom." While it sounds like I'm doing the opposite of what he suggests, there is a hidden nugget here. "Become like..." admittedly, I'm living diametrically opposed to the command. But the reassurance is what is "impossible with man is possible with God." So, in this moment, I ask God to "make me" like a little child, when it comes to exercising this gift He has placed in me. This is an admission of my weakness and a request for help. Amen!