Bass Notes

While art might be the melody society hums to itself, artists are the bass notes.

You only notice them when they're gone.

-- Reposted from pleasefindthis.blogspot.com

Artists and Money

Money is a paper craft, a work of art that symbolizes energy, effort and exchange.

Money is nourishment. When money comes into my life, my needs are met and my spirit can be at ease to create fully and with joy.

Money waters project seeds, helps them grow and then gives back to the community. When I receive money in exchange for sharing my gifts, I am able to share more and more. I invest in classes with wonderful teachers and purchase art supplies and buy art that inspires me and go to galleries and buy books and every time I do, money waters the creative dreams of all of those people who were a part of that exchange.

-- Jamie Ridler
www.openthedoor.ca

•••••••••••••••••••••••

It is interesting, I think, to ponder the fact that only recently have artists been left dangling over the abyss of financial ruin. The great families of every civilization... have long regarded the support of artists and artisans as part of their responsibility to the health of their communities. Only post-industrial revolution attitudes have been scornful of artists as "real" contributors to society. Before that time, artists were regarded as cornerstones to the health of society. It seems to me that we are well on our way to returning to that attitude.

-- Sally Wallach

Recipe for a Happy Life

Notice the little things. Close your eyes and feel. Run your body hard every so often. Make someone else smile. Drink lots of water. Cook your own food. Rest. Learn how to play with children - and dogs. (They can both teach you how to be a better person.) Explore your heart's desire, no matter what it is. Do good things for your neighbors. Eat ice cream. Spend time in nature. Bask in the sun. Let hurt feelings go. Love deeply. Tell the truth. Do work that matters to you whether it pays or not. Live within your means. Be completely transparent with someone. Dance. Seek out music that makes your heart sing. Use your voice. Say what's in your heart. Notice intuition. Plan backwards from your dreams to make them real. Find people who encourage and inspire you. Let yourself trust. Love yourself in a million little ways. Pay attention to your heart. Have faith in what it tells you. Stay curious.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks

Art and Ephemera

When you work with light as a photographer, as an artist, you no longer are working with the material world. You’re working with things unseen – the ephemeral. Light, time, intention, emotion, sense of place, connection, relationship. Of course the material world enters in – how else could anything be recorded? - but what makes magic in the world of the visual artist is capturing a view of things that are fleeting, that do not last, things that lie behind the veil of substance, and showing them, sharing them, with the world - or at the very least, the few people in it who resonate with your point of view.

Suffer or Be Free

To do meaningful work in the world, you must frequently forget who might be watching and listen to the sound of what lies inside you. But in this process, do not forget to bring your intuition and knowing back to the world again. In lives that grow, this cycle is continual and each step informs the next: Silence is followed by action. Action is followed by silence. There is no room for suffering in lives lived in this way because they are led from a well-honored inner spark that manifests outwardly as a kind of gentle personal stewardship of your unique talents and strengths. When you take action from this place, regardless of outcome, those actions will create right relationship for you between what is internal and what is external. In other words, meditate.