As I sit here writing about the series I am doing, I see robin redbreasts from my window coming to feed upon the seeds we have left for them. And it makes me think of the next series I am already preparing inwardly and itching to begin It will be about animals. In my search for universal archetypes I have yet to explore this theme more thoroughly. It will be dedicated to all of my friends who care for animals lovingly on a daily basis. Animal souls so need our attention today. In the mean time more practical matters need my attention. As I near the end of my « Forest Variation » series, (about 80 more to go to have one for every day of the year ) my companion and I are painting the wooden supports with a natural paint. My partner, recycled the wood from past wood working projects, cut them into different sizes and sanded them. I used a lot of old pieces of paper that needed recycling. I rarely throw away leftover bits of paper from past work. So this series fits into recycled work This spring I hope to be participating in art exhibits which use the theme of recycled art.
And of course my thoughts return constantly to the recent events in my birth country. This can happen at any time in France or the rest of Europe. The world is in upheaval. We need more cultural creatives creating a peaceful revolution. And art can be a part of that. After years of participating in alternative education, ecological activism, co-founding an intentional community, I feel that people need to find their creativity in the larger sense of the word if we want to transform our society. And so I end these reflections with some of my thoughts from 2016 :
Individual transformation
December 4 2016
In order for a transformation to take place, it seems necessary to me to recognize the pyscho / spiritual dimension of the human being and that it is vital that everyone work on themselves. This work of individual transformation must remain free in individual choices. A transformation is necessary to become autonomous, creative beings in order to realize themselves completely within society and to make their contribution. A key question is how to transform our attitude towards work. How to get out of the idea that labor is a commodity to sell and to buy, an idea still linked to slavery. How to develop the love of work in general, artistic, artisanal or each one puts forward his talents, his creativity, his capacities and his passions in the service of a society, community, collective? In the so-called developed countries, most of us have a certain quality of life because others on this planet are held in slavery to produce many of our basic necessities and our luxuries. Let us take our own subsistence in our hands or participate in a local economy without falling into a selfish and closed autonomy. For a group transformation there are tools to choose together such as: talking circles, non-violent communication, work groups to name a few examples. Let us take charge of our individual and collective destinies with courage, compassion, creativity, and free thinking.