- Published on
The Soft Underside of Experience
"The Soft Underside of Experience" - mixed media on cradled aquabord, 24 x 18 x 1.5. Ready to hang. Available here and at Artfinder.
There are some things you can't prepare for. You just have to dive in. All the way in, head first, not just toes and ankles.
"And so I learned that holding nothing back unlocks the wonder and the soft underside of experience we briefly know as joy." MARK NEPO, The Exquisite Risk
Once you begin unfettered diving in one area of life, it makes the next one a little less unnerving. And perhaps the one after that becomes just another dive. Until you aren't holding anything back anymore.
"This holding nothing back centers on the perpetual risk to break and reframe our ways of seeing and being in the world." NEPO
Perhaps seeing and being differently in the world is as terrifying as a deep dive off a cliff, dear reader, but Nepo promises wonder and joy as a result.
There are some things you can't prepare for. You just have to dive in. All the way in, head first, not just toes and ankles.
"And so I learned that holding nothing back unlocks the wonder and the soft underside of experience we briefly know as joy." MARK NEPO, The Exquisite Risk
Once you begin unfettered diving in one area of life, it makes the next one a little less unnerving. And perhaps the one after that becomes just another dive. Until you aren't holding anything back anymore.
"This holding nothing back centers on the perpetual risk to break and reframe our ways of seeing and being in the world." NEPO
Perhaps seeing and being differently in the world is as terrifying as a deep dive off a cliff, dear reader, but Nepo promises wonder and joy as a result.
It is a small thing, but this past week I was forced experience a different way of being in the world. An injured shoulder required me to stop using my left arm for the week. I am left-handed, so that made everything a bit awkward. Including painting. But I often draw wrong-handed to keep things loose, so the opportunity to paint an entire piece that way was too good to pass up.
This painting, created entirely wrong-handedly, does bring me both wonder and joy. And the realization that maybe, just maybe, the way I usually do things isn't the only or best way to do them. Apparently, it is never too late in life to become a diver. :)
This painting, created entirely wrong-handedly, does bring me both wonder and joy. And the realization that maybe, just maybe, the way I usually do things isn't the only or best way to do them. Apparently, it is never too late in life to become a diver. :)
No holding back has led to this amazing evolution of your whimsy. I LOVE THIS PIECE! Way to go Jen!
1.Thank you for the invitation to see and be differently; I am SO in arrears in unfettered diving.
2. Thank you for letting me pose for this painting!!!
And thank you for posing - I adore your new hair-do!
Dotty you came out beautifully. Hope your shoulder heals but keep using your wrong/right hand! Pun intended!