A couple of times a week, I walk about 2 miles through my neighborhood, iPod blasting, weights in hand, attempting to stop agint at 43! I change the order, but I pretty much walk the same streets every time. So, a few days ago I’m out doin’ my thing, and I notice a house I’ve never seen before. Not a newly-built house. An old one…yucky yard, peeling paint, not the kind to make me wish I lived there. Maybe they trimmed the bushes or parked the cars differently, but something made me notice this house for the first time that day. Marching along to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” (oh yeah, that song’s got my name all over it!), I started to ponder the revelation of this “new-old-house-revelation”. How often is life like that? We glaze over the same old thing until one day we’re ready to see it differently. A person. A job opportunity. A house. Suddenly, there is meaning in what was commonplace. Distraction is abundant in a world with a ton of hot air (with or without global warming!). Sometimes it’s hard to find those grains of truth, but they’re there…waiting until we’re ready to reveal themselves to us. Art is like that for me. I begin a painting with an idea in mind. Along the way I get lost. I have to “fix” things to find my way back. And in that fixing process, I arrive at a new and better end. If I didn’t allow myself the luxury of mistakes, I would never achieve the enviable sublime.
Art show season follows real estate season, which means this spring artists all around you will be coming out to festivals, hosting Open Studios and having gallery shows to present their work. Especially during these tough times, I encourage you to get out and see what all of us crazy “out-of-the-box” thinkers have been thinking about. You may love what you see…or you may hate it. But if you make some attempt to engage and understand it, you might find your world altered just a bit. You might notice a possibility that previously didn’t exist for you. You just might become different enough that someone else takes notice!
I’ll be hosting my Open Studio on May 9 & 10th, along with five other fabulous artists. I’d love for you to stop by, if you’re so inclined. Details are on my website.
Open Studios Postcard Image for Jen Norton and friends.
