Every once in a while I flip open one of my well-loved-and-well-worn books to a random page and read a few paragraphs. It’s my way of giving this wise-old universe the opportunity to drop a pertinent message on me. What tidbit of wisdom might I need to hear today?
Yesterday I opened Robert Fritz’s book, The Path Of Least Resistance, and began reading about discrepancy: what is the difference between where you are right now and what you want to create? I read that most people try to remove or deny their discrepancies. They try to eliminate the tension. Artists, on the other hand, understand their discrepancies as fuel. Creative tension. Discrepancy ignites the imagination. The last thing an artist wants to do is blunt their imagination, deny the discrepancy. An artist uses it. It’s a “process focus” rather than an “achievement focus”.
At the stop sign she stopped just shy of the bumper of the car in front of us, pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of the sticker on the window: I hope something good happens to you today. “Now that’s refreshing,” she said. In our travels we see plenty of aggressive bumper messages. Almost daily Kerri asks, “Why would they put THAT on their car? Jeeeeez!”
A wish for something good to happen to you. Today. What is the distance between us-as-a-nation right now, in this very dark moment, and a community that actually hopes for something good to happen to and for everyone? Can you imagine it? Walking in the world with a hope in your heart for good things to happen to everyone you meet, to everyone whose path you cross?
It is an understatement to suggest that there’s quite a discrepancy between what-is and what-could-be. There is a veritable chasm between the incoming angry nightmare and those who voted for hope, decency and kindness. And so it’s a vital time to be an artist. There’s rarely been a time more in need of imagination to counter the backward-looking-conservative-fascist-fantasy.
There’s plenty of fuel for the imagination borne of our massive discrepancy. Hoping for something good to happen to you today – whoever you are – is a great place to start.
read Kerri’s blogpost about SOMETHING GOOD
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Filed under: Art, Creativity, Merely A Thought Monday, Perspective | Tagged: artistry, creative tension, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, discrepancy, focus, goodness, hope, imagination, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, process, Robert Fritz, story, studio melange, the melange, the path of least resistance |
The Direction of Intention 
The chasm (Luke 16) is indeed great. What I hope for is wisdom, patience, and discernment. While not embracing differences in this nation, I find (the hard way) to recognize it – and continue moving forward in my “art” of humor and prayer.
Hey! That’s pretty good! A regular Shakespearean set of words!
-Cris
I hope you always continue to move your art forward. And…keep up this wordsmithing and you’ll have to start writing a blog! (or a novel or a play…the bard likes to be chased;-)