Breakfast occurs on the patio these days which means the reading, drawing and thinking happens outside too. One morning I read a bit of Marcus Aurelius and thought about what I read while I painted a coffee cup in my sketchbook. After the painting dried, in 5 minutes or less, I paraphrased what I had read. Deliberately I didn't quote exactly or directly from the book because I wanted to feel my own way through the concept, to hear myself think. I tried several phrasings in my head before I put pen to paper to write my paraphrased quote. Here's another photo so you can see my sketchbook page better.
During another days breakfast I thought more about the Aurelius quote and the ephemeral qualities of ones opinions, ideas, awarenesses and understandings. Again I painted my coffee cup and the entire sketchbook page spread all in one morning effort with slight spacing between color layers to actually eat breakfast. It was a longer more relaxed morning so I could do the page all in a session.
Yet a 3rd morning found me still thinking about this topic of having views and opinions but holding them lightly. It's good to know one’s own mind, to take the time to hear one's own thoughts and feelings about things, but it's also good sometimes to just let it go, to take a vacation from opinions - other people's opinions as well as one's own - and just breathe.
Here are the 5 colors that caught my eyes that morning as I focused on just breathing and looking. It's amazing how persistent, dare I say, how invasive opinion making can be, how difficult it is to just enjoy looking around a garden or home without adding “need to weed that, need to clean that, should do…” plans, thoughts and opinions. How challenging it is when those kinds of thoughts or opinions arise to just let them float on by and evaporate … Anyway, here's what I saw:
After seeing and enjoying the blues, yellows and greens outdoors I went indoors briefly and saw these books on our shelves with their covers of dark blues, olive greens, red-browns and the yellow gold lettering and decorations.
I just looked at them. Snapped the photo above. Sipped my coffee. Then I went on.
That's what occurred over the rim of my coffee cup this week. I hope you enjoy your weekend and the views over the top of your cup too.
P.S. my art exhibit “For You By Sue the ABC's: Art, Books, Cards” is now at the Aurora Gallery in Vancouver WA. Details and images of my artwork in the exhibit are available here: https://sueclancy.com/portfolio/for-you-by-sue-the-abcs-art-books-cards/
I'm quite taken with Aurelius's notion that it's all right not to have an opinion, particularly when it's applied to the arts, including fiction and poetry. Don't make pronouncements on what the piece is--it's good or it's bad--tell me what the piece DOES. (One of the main reasons I became fed up with fiction workshop upon completing grad school.)
I love how you share your creative process (and how you *processed* Aurelius’s words: lightly holding opinions, letting them float off. I think this allows them to morph into shape. Or shapelessness.