First off I was curious as to whether there was a pattern in the words that Chris and his followers had chosen. So I put them all into Wordle to see what they looked like as a word cloud [click on the image to see a larger version]:
The 3 words I've chosen for the year ahead are: Blood, Treasure, Ship. It was difficult to choose just 3 words from all the ones I thought of so I've gone for ones that mean more than one thing to me.
Blood:
I've been trying to encourage folks to give blood by bribing them with promises of free art for the past 8 months. Since I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a blood transfusion last month I now feel personally indebted to those who give blood and I'll be encouraging/cajoling/inspiring as many people as I can to give blood this year and beyond.
It's also a reminder of a favourite Nietzsche quote: "Of all writings I love only that which is written with blood. Write with blood: and you will discover that blood is spirit." I want what I create and do to have my blood and my spirit in it and hopefully that will mean my work connects directly with other people's hearts in a most pleasing manner.
Treasure:
I am not talking about ancient chests over-flowing with precious stones and gold - I want to continue to unearth the everyday, ordinary, easily over-looked treasure and hold it up for people to admire and be inspired by.
I also want to spend more time treasuring the everyday things and people that surround me and make my life worth living and constantly inspire me to become myself and step up to share that with the wider world.
This anonymous quote sums it up for me: "the greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart."
Ship:
Firstly, this is a reminder to myself that for me it's not enough to make art, I have to get out of my own way and get the things I create out of the door.
Secondly, this is a reference towards a very special story-writing and art project that I'm working on with my creative conspirator, Portia.
Thirdly, it reflects my desire to spend more time on/by the water over the next 12 months.
Fourthly, it's a reminder of a couple of favourite quotes:
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." ~ Rabindranath Tagore
"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." ~ Louisa May Alcott
To keep these 3 words in the front of my mind during the rest of the year I've designed a poster to put in a frame and hang up in our house:
No comments:
Post a Comment