A Musing #53

here’s a lot on my mind these days that are taking me away from painting. The reason why I want to talk about it is to show that it’s not a weird thing. It happens to all of us. It’s not a lie when we say being an artist means forever healing while exposing your wounds endlessly. I’m not shy to capture my emotional state on whatever surface is in front of me. I never give mind to what the viewer will say or think. The marks I make are for me and only me.

This painting was a lot of things. For one it was a direct test to see if any observer was paying attention. Only two people came forward to ask me how I was. Other artists thanked me because it’s not as uncommon as you think. A lot of you loved this piece and that’s great and I know it’s a strange dialogue to open up depending on how well we know each other. We all have a lot on our plates and separate lives we deal with. What I really want to say is that apart from this series being a form of nourishment and help to myself, I want to increase the streams of communication regarding mental health on a larger scale. Please don’t feel bad that you didn’t say anything. There’s no point in apologizing and going on and on why you didn’t ask how I was or how I’ve been holding up. I’m alright.

We all have darkness in us and days we wish we could erase from the calendars. I’m very good at transforming my negative side into something positive by painting. Unfortunately, not every one can do that so it’s important to reach out to those people. We live in an era where you can literally send an instant message from your fridge. Trust me, you’ll do a lot of good just checking in on someone. Being familiar with your own darkness will help you deal with the darkness of others. This is what I mean when I wish to broaden the dialogue for mental well being. Accept that behind this projected veil of sunshine and happiness that there are things we all don’t want to see but need to accept. It all starts with a “How are you?”