Seeing the World Like a Child

Today was an eventful day.  Near the end of my work day, there was a tornado spotted not too far from our place of business.  As a result, everyone at my place of employment was quickly rushed into an area that would hopefully provide adequate cover for us.  There we stood, all of us, dispersed between three, windowless rooms.  No one was allowed to use their cell phone to let anyone know what was going on.  About 5 minutes after 6, we were given the all-clear, the tornado warning dropped to a severe thunderstorm warning.  With that, I left the company and drove off toward home, my shift having been completed 5 minutes prior.

The rain came down in sheets, violently lashing at anything that dared to pass through.  I sped along with all the other cars, almost as if we were racing between the rain drops.  Finally, I come out of the city and move farther and farther away from the rain clouds to find a surprise: it was dry.

Bone dry.  The sun was pouring down onto the Earth and the pavement, grass and everything else was dry, no sign of any precipitation.  I felt as though I had reverted back to a child, in wonderment of what I was beholding.  When I was a child, I seemed to think that when it rained, it rained around the world and when the sun was out, so it was every where on Earth.  Remember that moment when you would be outside and watching as a sheet of rain comes moving gradually towards you?  Hearing the rain hitting the ground quietly and the noise begins to grow, until you feel the heavy raindrops hit your skin, head and clothing.

I felt this way on the way home about another thing I noticed as well.  The sun at times was hidden behind that clouds.  But you could see the beautiful beams piercing through the cloud cover.  When I was younger, I associated this with God and angels, thinking this was glory raining down.  Nearing that concept of a rainbow, it served as a reminder that I was being watched.  I also considered Heaven to be the clouds, my relatives and loved ones walking over me, peeping over the edge to protect me.

When we are children, everything is so much simpler than it may appear now.  Beauty was easier to find in things and the search for happiness was never a burden.  The world came simple and everything was new.  I know I celebrate this mindset often but I am certain I am not the only person in the world who wishes she could go back to a simpler time in the world.

Well, Readers, my fiance has his son this weekend so I am not certain with what chance I will have to indulge you in my thoughts.  But if I have a moment to tell you what is happening or if the mood suddenly strikes me, I will be more than happy to share.  Until that point, enjoy life and don't let it pass you by.

The Evolution of Art

Life changes and evolves.  Unfortunately, we cannot stop this.  It is simply the way the world develops and shifts.  This is evident in both in the changing of our world and our environment.  We see this in the changes that come in animal species in their colors or migration patterns.  But one of the biggest way to see the changes in our world is the examine the art as it exists through time.

Art is one way that presents both the social and physical change of the world.  This can be everything from the representation of who is in power to a society's concept of beauty to the evolution of intellect and technology.  Let us first reflect on the power of society.  Commonly, those in power were one of the few who could afford to sit for hours for a live painting and/or portrait to be taken.  These would often hang in their homes or palaces to signify the wealth and lounging they could afford while the rest of society had to work feverishly for even a few pennies to afford their lodging.  In these paintings, the representation of wealth also changes.  The shifting of wealth can be seen more so when the countries began to push for their expansion.  Furs and jewels changed for silk and spices to gold and silver even to crops and commerce.  When you examine paintings, look at all the clues it contains to have an idea about the social standing of the person in the world and an idea of the wealth they possess.

A society's ever evolving concept of beauty can be examined through the eyes of an artist as well.  While it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, art will reflect the society majority of what is beautiful.  If you study work and focus on the female form alone, this is evident.  It is often said that in times of famine, larger women become beautiful, while in time of plenty, thinner women become idolized.  In the Middle Ages art, women are often depicted as having a rounded belly, the natural curves and a full breast.  Children were sometimes depicted suckling, the woman cautiously smiling at the artist.  Today, through the eyes of media (our art form), women are forever becoming thinner, pressed for more fat to be lost.  Curves are not praised as much as they were in times past.  The clothing in the paintings also portray what is beautiful as it accentuates or displays what is found to be attractive.  These are all clues that you can think about while looking at a painting to find out more about the time period in which it was painted.

Finally, even simply the style of painting can help relay how far society may have progressed intellectually.  Consider the first known drawings, found in the caves of France.  The animals were out of proportion, the human figures are not well-developed and there is not a lot of background.  A simple representation of how their lives were lead.  As our understanding of the world, light and shadow evolved, so did the complexity and realism of the artwork.  Coming into the Renaissance period, the artwork seemed to be of people actually taken in real life, a photograph for that time period.  But even we can over-evolve.  Such movements as this are impressionism, surrealism and cubism, among others.  The art world has taken more leaps with the addition of instantaneous entertainment, such as television and movies.  We have come from the beginnings of live action movies to 2D animated movies to computer generated films and 3D animation.  As our intellect and our technology changes, our art form changes along with it.  Forms of expression and methods of sharing them has changed.

This is just a basic overview on what is evident when you go through an art book.  I invite you to explore the art world with these points in mind.  Remember to reflect on the time period, the concept of beauty, what may have been considered wealth and to look at a painting with renewed eyes.  Most importantly, remember that while you are trying to understand the artist and what was trying to be conveyed art is also meant to be enjoyed.  Take a moment either before your analysis or after to enjoy the light and shadow on the canvas, the light in the subject's eyes and to enjoy the composition that is this piece of art.  After all, what is art unless you can't enjoy what is there?

Soft, Gray Skies and Dandelions

The drive to work is never overly enjoyable. I find small consolation in the scenery I pass but it has become rather monotonous. The same tree, same flowers, same houses. Yesterday, while driving to work, the sky was covered with a soft, gray cloud. You could see the clouds straining to contain the sun, evident by the cracks that were white and almost glowing. Suddenly, I felt extremely small…

Soft, gray sky not unlike the one I saw

Here I was, driving a car. A car that weighs far more than I do and I am controlling it. In this car, I was driving under a sky. A sky that looked somber, reminding me of getting caught in the rain during a Girl Scout hike. Or, rather, walking in downtown Wexford, Ireland, and getting caught in the Irish rain that rises without fail. Scurry into a nearby shop to seek shelter or reprieve or perhaps, to wait it out with a pastry and a hot cup of tea.

I then passed by a lumber yard while I was driving my car under the soft, gray sky. I saw a bucket truck lifting what appeared to be as mulch, steaming as the water began to fall from the cool sky, into a dump truck. Then the logs from the trees who can tell us stories, if only they could speak. Alas, they stand silent. In the lumber yard, we humans, again, take control of their fate and destiny. The rain came soft and light, a drizzle, as I drove my car.

I felt so small. Here I was in this world that I drive by continuously. What had I forgotten that I had witnessed on my drive? Oh yes, it come flooding back. The crime scene. The evidence of a building standing a mere shell to its former self. The hole left in wake appeared to be that of a car’s doing. The yellow tape stretched across the opening of the building, its black lettering screaming its warning to all who come near.

Here I was, a humble woman, living in a world that is so much bigger than myself and I get sometimes so ignorant to what is around me. I forget to look at what I am going past and what is in the line of vision. I have become so enslaved in my pattern I forget to step out of the rut. We all get that way.

I know I talk a lot about nature, about pattern, about the magnitude of what is around us. I have written about enjoying nature and embracing what is around you in the past. I have touched on how we get so involved in our lives that we forget to look up. But now I have a word for it…

Enslavement

We are all guilty of it. Furthermore, this can be present in both positive and negative ways. If we become involved in a substance, in work, in vices, these are examples of negative enslavement. If we become caught up in outlets, creative expression, problem solving or the like, these are examples of positive enslavement. For example, the daily grind I go to, while I like my job, is negative. I may come home and not have the most positive attitude or be as upbeat as my fiancé may want me to be. This causes me to be ignorant of the people and things around me, in effect blinding me to their needs. This blog, however, is positive enslavement. It is a creative outlet for me, a way to express myself. It is also a way I communicate with my family, friends, my fiancé as well as you, Reader, and the rest of the world. This is also positive because when I talk about it with my fiancé or he asks me questions, I look forward to answering them. I have no problem discussing Writer’s Block or that I am going to write something a little daring (See “The (D)Evolution of Sex”).

But even with both my positive and negative enslavements, there needs to be time for me to be caught up in nothing. Just the world. To walk, to embrace my fiancé, to simply exist, all done without a care,

As though the seeds on the wind....

without concern or without an agenda. Sometimes, I miss the days when recess consisted of going on a playground and running around, climbing, jumping, swinging…or simply sitting in a field picking dandelions. Only can the simple child see the elegance and beauty of what we, as adults, perceive as weeds. We can all admit that we would be lying if we pretended to not acknowledge this fact. I can remember the joy I felt whenever I came across the delicate, seed portal of the dandelion, of picking it gingerly and closing my eyes, making a wish. Softly blowing the seeds helter-skelter everywhere, watching as the wind swirled and picked them up.

Just remember to stop every once in a while and enjoy what is around you.  The world, the sky, the flowers even the weeds.  They all play an important role not only in nature but in your life as well.  Try and remember how we saw them as a child, how we stood in awe of everything.  That is the way we should try to see the world and embrace it.  Enjoy it, embrace it...most importantly, don't forget to live Life.

Once Around the Color Wheel

Our world is so vibrant and beautiful.  But how much of that beauty do we really recognize and admire?  I am fortunate enough to have time in the mornings every other week to take me time in the morning, embrace the hours as they pass and enjoy the day as it slowly welcomes me.  How about you?  In your rushing about in the morning, do you ever stop to looking around, to smell the roses?
What about the colors that surround you?

Before I was at my present job (as little as 6 months ago), I worked at a sign fabrication shop for 2 years.  I will give you a moment to let that soak in....are you good?  OK.  Because I thought the same thing.  I had gotten done with college and had a summer job but at the end of the summer, I had no where to go.  A new retail company opened a month after that and I was offered a job.  Within 6 months (after having two jobs and letting one go), I was back to having two part time jobs.  One of them was at this sign company.  Over the course of two years, I was offered a full time position and the position began to evolve.  Before my departure to my current job, I was work in the vinyl department in the company.  I worked with different materials, colors and computer programs.  This caused me to think about the colors in the world around me.

I remember driving home one day and looking up at the sky.  That day, the sky wasn't light blue or dark blue.  It was Euro Blue, a vinyl color.  I realized then how much working with the vinyl had caused me to take a new appreciation for color around me.  As an artist, I am in love with color and this job had given me a new appreciation for color.

Walk in wildflowers!

When was the last time you picked up a crayon box and went through the crayons?  Or when you noticed and tried to actually name the color in the sky or in the grass?  These are things that we grow out of.  What once gave us, as children, such joy, we begin to notice does not give me as much zeal and we begin to take things for granted.  But how can we do this and continue to grow?  To move forward, we should remember where we have come from.

The next time you are in a rush, if you can, slow down.  Look around you.  Remember that the things around you are not just blue or green or gray.  Look at a bouquet of the same flower and you can see the differences.  In color, in form, in style.  Isn't that what makes them beautiful?  If everything was identical, where would be the excitement and curiosity in that?  Enjoy exploring your world and a thing called, "La Vie."

Passing of Time

The sun is streaming into the windows, peeking its way into my world between the slated blinds.  I hear our little dog, Molly, crying for freedom from her crate and her bed.  I feel my fiance roll out of bed and begin to move within the apartment and start his day.  Meanwhile, I laze about, drifting in and out from the realm of sleep and dreams.

It is mornings like this that I enjoy so much.  I woke finally, after fighting sleep in my eyes, to find my fiance standing at the door, smiling at me.  I got up and made french toast and coffee.  Here we sit, discussing life and the day, our Molly lying lazily between us.  It makes me think about how we measure time.

Before clocks, time was tracked by the rising and falling of the sun.  Sun dials, then, helped keep a little bit of tracking of the hours.  Otherwise, the concept of hours and minutes is one we pressed upon the world.  Is it our need of structure that we impress our world into some intangible constraints?  But we have another way to define time.  That is the difference between the work week and the weekend.

At work this week, my coworker and I were discussing about missing school.  Why would we miss school? Because during school, you always knew there was another day off around the corner (of course, I missed school for the academics as well).  The summer or winter vacation would always be right around the corner, with periodic days off throughout the year.  Now, in the real world, I work everyday with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas and can take a week off a year.

But the week too is constructed by man.  Where did we get that there were seven days in the week?  Granted, I figure the answer would be by the tracking of the seasons and also by the history of seasonal celebrations.  It is simply an interesting thing to consider.

The seasons come and go but what remains standard is the love that exists between our friends and family.  Remember that nature can prove to be a source of inspiration and love in our lives.  But if we are in forever a rush, we miss what is the most beautiful in our world.  Stop and smell the roses.  Take time to take a stroll in nature.  Breathe in the air and focus on the freedom it releases.  Nature is at our core.  Try it.  It's a good way to reduce stress in a thing called, "La Vie."

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