1) I love reading this with illustrations as stepping stones. 2) This is the 2nd year I had my chart read (by an abstract painter, at his dining table, surrounded by his paintings while snow fell on the solstice, which is also my birthday). I also think of it exactly as you describe- a lens to look through and ask questions and/or to consider the possibilities. 3) I made it so the only way it is acceptable/responsible/possible for me to make things is for work, for money, for service, for others. I mean, I didn’t make it this way- I simply got the message from the culture and believed it. Because- one has to eat. If one has to labor to make money to live, what is the equation of hours-for-cash minus hours-for-art/life minus hours-for-sleep-eat-children-spouse-house = ? There is another way to write that but it might need to be drawn or painted or danced. Happy Holy Days!
Julie—I think the way you wrote the equation is precise! Happy birthday — and let’s rebel this year. We will be anti-conformists. With courage and discipline we will do things for joy, things that we desire for reasons that may be inexplicable in systems of capitalism. Ready-set-go!!!
Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Dawn. As usual. And very helpful! Also, as usual.
I'm pretty sure that where the Bible says people are "created in the image and likeness of God" it's NOT TALKING ABOUT BEING RELIGIOUS. It's simply acknowledging that life is all about creativity and we are created to be creative. It's not just what we do all day long, it's what we are. It's who we are. It's why we are. In fact, we can't NOT be creative. Our minds and bodies are creativity factories even if and when we're asleep or unconscious. In short, our creativity is what's keeping each of us alive!
But there is a problem. An ironic one! We're so immersed in our creativity that we take it for granted or worse, don't see it for what it is. This problem is exacerbated by our culture's through-the-roof emphasis on productivity, heralding productivity (for financial profit) over all other things while giving our inborn creative nature a much, much smaller slice of our 'values' pie.
I personally do much better/am more centered when I forget about being productive and focus on applying my essential creative self to the task at hand regardless of what it is...on just BEING...which invites me into the natural flow of my creativity. While productivity focuses on the bottom line of profit, calling on us to sacrifice our true selves, our wellbeing and even our sanity for its sake, creativity focuses our attention on who we authentically are and on what we're authentically doing in this very moment. It invites us to get delightfully lost in exploring (i.e. becoming aware of) our own wellbeing...which, in the end, produces genuine rewards from which we ALL ultimately profit. BUT WE MUST KNOW AND TRUST OURSELVES ON THIS ONE! Hence the value of meditation/contemplation/reflection.
Thanks again for your insightful essays. I hope you're doing well and I'm excited to see where your creativity takes you in 2025!
1) I love reading this with illustrations as stepping stones. 2) This is the 2nd year I had my chart read (by an abstract painter, at his dining table, surrounded by his paintings while snow fell on the solstice, which is also my birthday). I also think of it exactly as you describe- a lens to look through and ask questions and/or to consider the possibilities. 3) I made it so the only way it is acceptable/responsible/possible for me to make things is for work, for money, for service, for others. I mean, I didn’t make it this way- I simply got the message from the culture and believed it. Because- one has to eat. If one has to labor to make money to live, what is the equation of hours-for-cash minus hours-for-art/life minus hours-for-sleep-eat-children-spouse-house = ? There is another way to write that but it might need to be drawn or painted or danced. Happy Holy Days!
Julie—I think the way you wrote the equation is precise! Happy birthday — and let’s rebel this year. We will be anti-conformists. With courage and discipline we will do things for joy, things that we desire for reasons that may be inexplicable in systems of capitalism. Ready-set-go!!!
Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Dawn. As usual. And very helpful! Also, as usual.
I'm pretty sure that where the Bible says people are "created in the image and likeness of God" it's NOT TALKING ABOUT BEING RELIGIOUS. It's simply acknowledging that life is all about creativity and we are created to be creative. It's not just what we do all day long, it's what we are. It's who we are. It's why we are. In fact, we can't NOT be creative. Our minds and bodies are creativity factories even if and when we're asleep or unconscious. In short, our creativity is what's keeping each of us alive!
But there is a problem. An ironic one! We're so immersed in our creativity that we take it for granted or worse, don't see it for what it is. This problem is exacerbated by our culture's through-the-roof emphasis on productivity, heralding productivity (for financial profit) over all other things while giving our inborn creative nature a much, much smaller slice of our 'values' pie.
I personally do much better/am more centered when I forget about being productive and focus on applying my essential creative self to the task at hand regardless of what it is...on just BEING...which invites me into the natural flow of my creativity. While productivity focuses on the bottom line of profit, calling on us to sacrifice our true selves, our wellbeing and even our sanity for its sake, creativity focuses our attention on who we authentically are and on what we're authentically doing in this very moment. It invites us to get delightfully lost in exploring (i.e. becoming aware of) our own wellbeing...which, in the end, produces genuine rewards from which we ALL ultimately profit. BUT WE MUST KNOW AND TRUST OURSELVES ON THIS ONE! Hence the value of meditation/contemplation/reflection.
Thanks again for your insightful essays. I hope you're doing well and I'm excited to see where your creativity takes you in 2025!