Not just about getting through the day.

Getting through the day. That’s the ticket. It wasn’t always this, it was seizing the day, exploring the day, discovering the day, unraveling, witnessing, expectations of the day, the week the next few seconds, the breath. It was about not knowing what the day would bring. Not fearing the little edge of anxiety that served to feed the beast, inspire the muse. What could happen? What might happen? The unknown. Waking to the new day with a body that will respond to whatever task you can invent. Whatever project that finds it’s way onto the table, into the kitchen, onto the easel. And the possibilities, the possibilities… this plan, this garden, this painting, this journey had so much hidden inside of it. Maybe that’s why retired people travel. To discover. But I still love to create. Traveling is fine to observe and eat different food that might be better than what what you’ve learned to cook at home, but it isn’t. It’s different, sometimes, but rarely better. Because we’ve learned so much by now and our bodies are less flexible, more cranky, shit hurts.

Getting through to the end of the day with compassion and purpose.

This is the task at hand. Today I teach young artists to draw. We will conquer small things, the curve of the back, the shape of the pose, the center of gravity, the power of a good command of the Grey scale. Teaching younger artists develop skills, skills and reasons to want to go beyond just getting through the day. This is the way I get through today.