Posts filed under ‘Inspiring’
The Journey Begins
Art by Daniel Lieske
“My journey begins on an old and dusty attic. A little boy unveiled a passage to another world and prepared his backpack. The moment is there – the moment of gathering courage and doing the first step.
I wanted to paint a picture about the nature of journeys. I wanted to show, that you always have to leave something behind if you want to reach for a distant goal. The boy’s belongings are on the left side, as well as his cat and the place he calls home, which shines a warm light from below the attic trapdoor. On the right side I arranged things that symbolize the journey. There you find the globe, the telescope, the ship, the bust of the great Homer and the skeleton which stands for the last journey. My goal was to create a tension between the two worlds, so the perspective lines are arranged to build a subtle drag into the glowing painting.
I also wanted to paint a picture about us artists. We constantly struggle to open doors to other worlds with our artwork and by creating foreign landscapes and fantastic creatures we fuel the imaginations of our spectators. Our paintings literally become portals into the realm of fantasy and that’s why in my painting the zig zag path formed by the road in the painting and the carpets on the attic floor ultimately leads to the viewer – to invite him to venture on a journey of his very own.”
-Daniel Lieske, 7th of May 2006
The first time I saw this painting I stared at it for a good 20 minutes. So much of it’s story speaks directly to my soul as a writer. The act of creating something that lives and breathes out of nothing is one that is very precious to me. The desire to create has always come to me in times where I felt helpless to things happening in my life. Writing helped immensely during my cancer. Another rush of creativity came to me when I learned that having a child would not come easy for my husband and myself. The greatest desire came after I miscarried my first pregnancy. My stories are not unlike children after all.
I also love what the artist says above, “I wanted to show, that you always have to leave something behind if you want to reach for a distant goal.” It’s so beautiful in it’s truth. Another way that this painting pulls at my heart is how much it reminds me of the boys I love most in my life. They have served as my inspiration for many stories of adventurous feats and epic tales. You know who you are and I am forever grateful to have you in my life.
Much Like Myself
Image Source: KMR
I stumbled on this some this picture over at CG Unit and was immediately struck by it. The imagery is so simple but tells such a deep story. The story it conveys reminds me a lot of myself. The juxtaposition of the color, light, and playfulness surrounded by a shades of gray and a general feeling of melancholy really speaks to me.
Are there any pieces of art that effect you on a personal level?
Seek What it is that Creates You
I love this quote. Life truly is what you make it. We all have circumstances that make some things hard to acheive, but we also have talents that make other things easier. I believe discovering your passion is the key to happiness. That one thing that makes getting out of bed easier in the morning, that is what makes life worth living. Your passion is what creates you. And your passion can be the thing that shapes your entire life.
Too often people settle for what’s comfortable or secure in order to just get by. I, myself, am guilty of this. I delagated my passion into a casual hobby, and hobbies are always the first things to be sidelined when life gets busy. It amazes me just how easily I am able to drop the things that truly make me happy in order to do things that can wait until another time or to do things to please others.
I think people forget just how much power they have. We have the power to make the decisions that will lead us to greater things, that will lead us to our happiness. I intend to use that power, I hope you do too.
P.S.
I have seen this quote accredited to George Bernard Shaw, not sure why this one says “unknown” but I liked the graphic.
Lawrence Yang
Fire Flower
Forest Creature
Growth
Butterflies
Goldfish
I love StumbleUpon and if you don’t use it then you are missing out. Much of what I post here is a direct result of repeatedly pressing the Stumble! button when I should be working.
One of my most favorite finds is an artist by the name of Lawrence Yang and his website suckatlife and blog blowatlife. I find his art so inspiring. The kind of work that I could stare at endlessly and create my own stories for. The colors are gorgeous and in many of his pieces there is this odd combination of both loneliness and hope that create beautiful stories in my head.
