We are having on and off snow flurries here in Taos today! At the same time my daffodils are starting to bloom. It is always spectacular here in our high mountain desert setting. The last few weeks I've been driving around Taos and its outer environs for some writing I'm doing for a special friend's web site. The beauty and shifting scenery are awe-inspiring. One can be driving past high cliffs one minute and going past orchards 3 minutes later; or, from flat sage landscape to alpine splendour in 15 to 20 minutes. I love it! And, I'm remembering to take my sketchbook and camera with me.
Remember the old saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" I've had quiet a few people tell me they are going through tough patches lately, and their reactions are varied from devastated to fear to despair. Yet, at least half of them are continuing on with their creative goals. Why? They know innately that by doing so, it is an anchor to get them through their current troubles. Of course when a tough patch happens, we do have to stop to take care of it, e.g. getting up that money to pay for the taxes or fix the car. And, yes, we can stop to cry & get upset when a friend or partner lets us down or we, or a family member, gets sick, etc. We do need to honor our feelings. However, the bottom line is us: you & me. We count and our creativity counts. And, in the midst of the toughness, if we can do one little thing to keep our creative momentum & vision going, e.g. read a novel or poem in our genre, pick up an art book, clear one square foot of our workspace, draw a tiny sketch, or edit 3 paragraphs, our day is that one little bit brighter. This keeps us from falling into that prairie dog hole of despair, & maybe, old, bad habits.
My featured artist today is Henri Rousseau. He had day jobs all of his life, blue collar day jobs, was ridiculed, all but one child died, he was self-taught, and he died in poverty. Yet, he kept going on huge canvases in a small studio. His life is such an inspiration to me to keep on going in the toughest of times. Have an up-lifting week!
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