Right off the bat let me say no, I did not paint this; I just used one of those apps that makes a photo look like a painting. Why? I wanted to give you a glimpse of one of the highlights of my week (speaking to a group about The Art of Upcycling), without abusing anyone’s trust by posting their face on my blog. I thought this was a fun solution and a great illustration for how I see the world.
When I read or hear a story, my mind paints a picture for me, like this one – just the outlines of people and settings – without scads of details. It’s why I grow impatient with writers who describe every last leaf, beautiful though they may be. I’m not wired to enjoy things in segments or scenes. My brain wants the whole story, all the information, before it will step back and let me truly see something. And so, when I lack clarity on an aspect of my life, it can muddle the entire picture.
My destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing.
– Marcel proust
But, life is too long to attach the contentment I seek to a place or a time I may never reach. And the rough sketch that is my life right now is still beautiful, just in a way I’m not used to seeing it. Like painting with a dirty brush, where I trade precision and control for more interesting colors and contrast, perhaps if I can stop seeking the bigger picture, I can retrain my brain to enjoy the vignettes that are right in front of me.
Love the painting! I think the idea of viewing anything in a different way is very good for all of us who get stuck in viewing always in the same way. In this way, creativity and flexibility are both encouraged and affirmed when the new view opens another door we might not have gone through before.
Thanks for the thoughts. You might enjoy reading “Short Stories by Jesus.” by Amy-Jill Levine. New way of hearing and seeing. First chapter deals with lost coin, lost sheep. Luke 15:1-10
A sermon and a mini-memoir, Leah, presented with a visual that’s perfect for the content. Such deep gifts you have, in so many strands of life: it sounds to me as though the new way(s) of seeing are already emerging. Perhaps it has taken you life as it’s been over the last four years to have the vision necessary for that newness. From my vantage point, the Leah you are now (newly sighted) is a more intriguing and wise woman than ever. I don’t like the pain and the circumstances that initiated all this, but I can still give thanks for your honesty, openness, and vulnerability. What a treasure you are.