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"Gravitate toward
the thing you love‹a book, a charm, a song, a body, a corner, a view,
a pose, a mood. Get there, find yourself there. Try to observe yourself
there. How do you feel? Savor the feeling, you don't need to identify
it, but try to own it. It can be a mere notion, or a hurricane eye. Find
the fire – and don't be afraid, it can't burn you, and it can feed
you.
If you wanted to show or to tell the world about this thing, imagine what
that would feel like. Cathartic? Restless? Reckless? Irresponsible? Joyous?
Try not to judge it – allow yourself to honor it – it's yours
– it has never been seen or heard by the world before – this
urge – it is your response, it is your voice. If you really go there,
it's yours to own.
Many things have been said by different people over time – and a
lot of it is stuff that has been talked about, mused on, before. The thing
that can make it different, what can make it new – is that it's being
now heard in your voice – whether that "voice" is a word,
or a scrawl, or a gesture, or a grunt, sigh, or howl – it's your
relationship to the world and the challenging hurdles and sweet surprises
you may encounter in your life. Two hundred years ago, we didn't have
root canals and cell phones – but we had feelings, and found ways
to express those feelings. Some of these things have filtered down to
us – paintings, music, words, structures, tools... Why? Some might
say because it's great art or craftsmanship. But the real goods are in
the vestiges of humanity we can see, hear, or sense in these objects,
or in the absence of certain other objects...
I read somewhere in a survey that kindness is what people value the most
– kindness to oneself can vent a fury, lighten a heavy load –
kindness to another can conjure a smile. These are acts of creating. Dabs,
smears, punctures, warps, folds in the texture of a day in the life. We
can create. We can impact. We breathe – whether we're conscious of
it, or not. To be aware of a breath we take is to be in the moment. To
uncover and express how you feel about such a moment is to create something.
To create something is to give something back to the world. Be kind."
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