It all provides cause for some introspection for sure, within the professional, personal, and all other sides of life. I've made a lot of ceramic work this past year, in a time of ups and downs, confirming for me, at least, that art certainly plays a role in ones day-to-day, allowing it to be the voice when you don't have one, thoughts when you feel worn out, a sense of touch when the hands are tired, or a simple comforting of spirit when things get weird. I really can't make sense of it all, and as I age I find myself more contemplative than combative. The high energy of my youth gives way to now older, thoughtful perspectives on what I make, what I do, who I am with, and all other aspects of being fully human. There was a time I thought I would live forever, but with age I realize that is not a proposition any of us really need. What we need is to realize the limits of our time and make the most of it. Being productive in the studio is part of that, and touching the lives of those around us even more important than anything else. I remember when I was young thinking about my father, who, without a great education on the higher academic level, that he was not that smart. But as I got older, it was amazing how much smarter he became. He had wisdom, something no one teaches us except life itself. He had it, I want it!
So, it's another week of silence, and I hope I can learn something from it, coming from someone who probably speaks out more than he should. Nature's way of saying be still, be contemplative, be reflective. I'll try to spend the days this week working in the studio (in silence), writing, watching the world around me without offering comment (physical, political, spiritual, etc.), hoping to gain some of that wisdom that seemed to come so naturally to my father before me. I have heard the saying 'the nut does not fall too far from the tree', but in thinking of me and my father, I feel I am just a nut, not sure when or where to fall, but hoping when I land I am in his shadow.
In the meantime, I'll keep making 'stuff' in my studio, and here's a couple of things I just finished. The sounds of silence, in me and my work? We'll see!
