Miles to go
I know it’s the most cliché poem I could have chosen to include in the underpainting of these woods (because it is winter, and it’s a painting of the woods)… but it fits.
The thought of having a [bleep] ton left to do before we leave this planet can really be stressful… or maybe motivational, depending on the day. I get a sense of overwhelm from it lately, so here we are. Miles to go. Glad I have new comfortable shoes!
I suppose in real life there would be more layers of trees, but that’s what makes art art, am I right?
I’m a little all over the place - where did the words I had written in my head in the shower go? Time to invest in some waterproof paper (kidding, sort of).
As a visual artist I know I’m supposed to focus on visuals and not words, necessarily, but I’m starting to get a backlog of words in my head. So the thought of pairing them with the visuals has been pestering me. Step one: this painting with these words.
The woods. Robert Frost. The other poem I was considering for this image was The Road Not Taken. Adding to my list of “themes in Robert Frost poems that challenge me in life”: everything is a decision. Everything. Like… every second of every day you could make a different decision. You could take the other road. In The Road Not Taken, there is a line “I doubted if I should ever come back” to check out the other path he didn’t take. I want to say yes to all the paths.
When I had the idea to paint this woods scene, I was having a very gremlin-esque week in my head at work. All the thoughts seemed to creep into my head that week - the “what am I doing at this place; I’m not nearly as smart as colleagues who have spent their whole lives prepping for this job”. I’ve taste tested a bunch of industries, and have questioned myself at each one (“Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing for the rest of my career?” is my favorite).
The words peeking through is my favorite part of creating these paintings
How do I know if this is the path, that these are the woods? And you’re welcome, if you sang the “how do I know” like Whitney (I’ll wait… got it now? You’re welcome).
I want to say yes to everything, why do I have to be shoved into a career path box, an art box, a routine box? The other reason why all of this came up recently is because of the holidays. Ah yes, the holidays. I heard from several people this year how stressful the holidays are because of obligations. The holiday box doesn’t appeal to me much - I’d rather go get takeout or go for a hike than HAVE to be somewhere “just because that’s how it is” each year. I’ve managed to work my way through the past few holiday seasons unscathed, which has also been a choice - and yes, the takeout on Christmas Eve has been delicious although waiting in line has sucked each time.
Allow yourself a Ferris Bueller moment with this one - zoom in
Miles to go. I saw a post today of an interview Jim Carey did at some fancy red carpet event. He reiterated the fact that none of this stuff matters - the red carpets, idols, things we give way more power to than we should. I can see his point, that in the really huge picture we are a given a teeny tiny blip of a lifetime. But in my tiny yet important blip, I feel like I still have way more to do, way more to see, way more to create. Everything I still have yet to do/make/see matters, but it needs to matter right now while I am in this lifetime. Which leads me back to my desire to say yes to everything.
Last little closeup shot for now
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. I don’t know if there is an ending point of this post or if anything has been resolved. What I -do- know is that I’m going to say yes to things, taste test things, and enjoy things, to know that my tiny blip is a meaningful blip. And if the gremlins pop up, maybe I’ll offer them a paintbrush so we can bond over some creative vibes.