Challenge Update
Obviously I’m still not consistently blogging, but I’ve rebooted and it’s been less than 20 days since I last posted!
My recent lapse in writing makes some sense in context with life feeling heavy. I haven’t been riding my bike regularly. I haven’t been doing my morning yoga, meditation, writing practice regularly. When I’m feeling depressed, often the first things that go from my routine are the things that might best help me feel better. Time to restart healthy habits again!
Art Heals
Along with that idea, I finished a 16″x20″ multimedia art piece I’ve been working on for ever. Or, more accurately, working on … then avoiding … and then working on again.
I don’t think I took really early pictures of the work-in-progress, but I got to the point that I didn’t like it and didn’t know what else to do with it. Then I remembered something I’ve learned from Tracy Verdugo‘s art classes: it’s Ok to cover things up! She uses that technique quite often in her work, with stunning results. So that’s what I did. I started covering things up with white acrylic ink.
I started thinking about what I care about, what I’m struggling with, what I want my art to convey, and the solidarity fist emerged. And collaged birds remained. Sparks of white splatters. Hearts.
On the cusp of sleep I had the epiphany to have the fist holding a bolt of lighting. I bought an antique music book at a thrift store awhile back, and I love using the pages in my multimedia pieces. The perfect lightning bolt of inspiration and solidarity. There are few things move our collective souls more than music.
There are some hints at folks meditating in there.. Part of me says I try to do too much when I do pieces like this. And part of me tells that other part to shut up. “Let me have fun,” it says!
I also decided to incorporate written art into the piece. At first I researched the internet for the perfect solidarity quote. I asked friends for their favorite quotes. Nothing fit, so I wrote my own. Below is what made it on the art piece:
a billion
trillion
electrons
a spark
of solidarity
that lights
the fire
of change
I pulled those words from a longer poem I wrote:
a billion
trillion
electrons
coming together
coalescing
building up
more powerful than
a speeding bullet
even the ones that
shoot down non-white folks,
non-Christian folks,
LGBTQ folks
the solution to
speeding bullets
a spark of solidarity
that lights up the night,
the darkness
a spark of solidarity
that lights the fire
of lasting change
Art heals. And art begets art.
Or I guess I should say, art helps with healing. My heart hurts with shooters aimed at folks that don’t fit the demographics of white, Christian, heterosexual. It’s not right that white supremacists are permitted to terrorize any community, and they’ve held that right for too long in BIPOC (black, indigenous, people-of-color) communities.
In my heart, I know that what I’ve conveyed in my painting is what will liberate us. Solidarity, love, peace, nature, people coming together in multitudes to light the fire of change. My brain asks, “When will we choose this and rise together?”
Closing out
Wishing everyone peace, art, and love.
I am moved by your words and artwork. Your post inspires me to continue to hope and work for change. I have been either very angry or depressed by the events. It is comforting to know I am not the only one who believes that united solidarity is the way. Thanks
Thank you for your comments, Annette. We are in this together. I just wish we could get some momentum going towards the world we want to live in. Too often we get distracted, or start in fighting, or ignore issues that don’t directly affect us… :/ But there is hope if we stand in solidarity with each other.
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