Transformation by Fire

A couple of months ago there was a fire in the foothills near my home. It scorched one of my favorite walking trails. Two weeks ago I finally managed to get out there and explore. What I saw wasn't my familiar trail, but a changed landscape. The area was so rocky. The fire had burned the tall softly flowing grasses that hid the rocks. Those unusual stumps and decaying logs were left as piles of ashes. I could now see how the trail wound up and around the mountain slopes. With the grass and some of the trees burnt to cinders I had a clear view into the distance.

I thought to lament the loss of my favorite trail and the feelings I associated with traveling it. But then I realized I was fortunate to be given a perspective that was unique. A view into the underbelly of this area. This rawness, realness, not dressed up and served on silver was this piece of earth I thought I new but had only bothered to glimpse it at the surface. Things were different one level deeper but I hadn't seen it.













I experienced the process of the transformation of an artist to be like this fire. Things are painful. They are stripped away. You're left raw and vulnerable but there is something real, new and elemental about what's left. It the essence of who you are.
This wasn't something to grieve or bemoan, but a place to begin anew, refreshed. Once I learned to re contextualize my experience, I could see the path in front of me more clearly. I could begin to grow again.

Final Card Design

This is the final look I came up with today...
"Anisozygoptera"
So the question came up, "Why the dragonfly?"
well...
"In many cultures, the dragonfly is regarded as a symbol of light, adaptability, grace and transformation." This seems an appropriate symbol for conscious design.

Here's a dragonfly story that explains it all...

"Oyenstikker", "Trollslanda":
The Europeans thought dragonflies were sinister, but the Asians and Native Americans thought of them as symbols of courage, strength, and happiness. This connotation has spread worldwide in modern times.












In ancient mythology Japan was referred to as "Akitsushima, Land of the dragonflies."

Ethics and Authenticity

This summer I had the opportunity to attend a workshop led by well known artist/philosopher/physicist Enrique Martinez Celaya. The topic of discussion was "the challenges of making art in the age of careerism and art funds." It was a fascinating discussion that ranged over vast topics including philosophy, ethics and authenticity in art.
It was a difficult discussion to follow where every assumption made about definitions or concepts concerned were challenged. Mr. EMC as I like to refer to him (eMC2) did a comparison between the works and talent of Velásquez and Rembrandt, suggesting that perhaps Rembrandt lacked subtleness. His talent was visibly displayed in full glory on the canvas to impress. Velásquez on the other hand revealed his complexity and subtleness by what he didn't paint on the canvas.
The main idea that was consistently generated was "Why do you do art? and "Is this really art or just decoration?", "What is art?" The discussion generated many thoughts and questions such as "If someone gets paid big bucks for their art, does that legitimize it as art?"
I've been digesting the discussions throughout the summer and have decided to turn to the philosophers of old for some background and guidance, Satre, Heidegger, Hume, Kant....