ArtBlog

These are certainly challenging times, to say the least. For everyone. So many people are dealing with COVID-19 (otherwise known as the coronavirus), worried about themselves, their families, their communities. And an ever-growing number of people are getting sick, some who are recovering, and too many dying.

Many of us grow out of touch with our bodies, our health, trying not to pay attention to aches, pains, illnesses. so we can carry on with what needs to be done. Now our daily lives are being radically changed — we can’t go out and socialize like we were able to do just a few weeks ago. We can’t work together, take classes. It’s hard to even get groceries. And In order to protect our loved ones, we can’t see all of them face to face, can’t hold them, comfort them. It’s taking a toll on our work, our bodies, our mental well-being.

This is where artists come in. All kinds of artists — musicians, painters, photographers, writer — are turning to what we do best in order to provide comfort to our loved ones, to our communities, a world that is hurting. And in the process, we help each other (and ourselves) cope with everything going on around us.

Now is not the time to go silent. Now is the time for us to use our art to speak out louder than ever. Express the fear, the anger, the love, the hope. And get it out there for others to see and hear. Reach out to family and friends, with your art. Reach out to the world, with your art!

Now is the time to let your art speak louder than ever.

Let us help — tell us about your art, we’ll show it on this site, link to it, post it on twitter (or retweet if you tweet yourself), link or post on instagram. Or just start a dialogue with us, reach out, artist to artist. We’re here to listen.

Stay well, stay safe, stay creative.

Well hello there! I’ve been working around the clock the last few days, and I’m a little bleary-eyed, so please bear with me.

Rebuilding the website has been fun, and has exercised all the tech muscles I left thought I had left behind some years back. A lot of changes in life over the last five or so years. In 2014, I had a little bit of fisticuffs with cancer, resulting in surgery that was a bit more challenging than I thought it would be. (I’m fine) partially because I was also dealing with the onset of arthritis and diabetes and all sorts of things. (Co-morbidities anyone?) Each new disease added to the cornucopia of Things That Could Kill Me. I must say it was the cancer, though, that made me think, you know what? You better stop waiting for tomorrow to see if you can really make it as a writer and artist. Time to use your creative voice, learn to speak up and speak out.

Other situations added to the mix, no need to go into all of it here and now. The point is, like so many people who question their choices as they get older, it was time to reevaluate what the heck I was doing to myself, and how I could change my work into less tech, more art.

I’ve made attempts in the past, but was always fitting the creative stuff around the edges of my work in information systems. While that was a rewarding career for me once upon a time, it just wasn’t “it”. I just kept hearing “don’t leave your day job” in my head (oddly, with my father’s voice). So I put it off and put it off until my body finally rose up and said “Enough! Your job can’t be the only thing you done when it’s time to leave the planet.” It’s taken a while, but that’s the new voice in my head. And it’s my voice. And I’m finally listening.

I’m winging it (isn’t everybody, really?), but man, it really feeds my soul. And I’m actually blending the tech with the art now. It’s my job to keep this web site going and growing. And I’m creating more artwork than I ever have in my life, and working on a book (or two or three…).

I almost didn’t make the transition from old life to new. A lot of changes I wasn’t prepared for (gory details can be found at my other site, perceptivision.org, if you’re curious). It took my family and friends to keep me going and lift me up, including the two owners of Grey Heron Studios, who just happen to be my sister and brother-in-law, Jackie & Jim. I quite literally would not be on the planet without them.

That’s my origin story. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to be writing a lot for this website, trying to share things we learn as we move ahead in this creative journey. More importantly, we’ll share other people’s work we find along the way.

So keep an eye out, maybe you’ll learn something too. And please tell us about your journey in the comments. Or contact me (use the “contact us” page, I’ll get the info, don’t worry). And if you want us to link to your site, show your work, or tell people what you’re up to, I will do what I can to help amplify your voice, here and through instagram, twitter, and anything else that’ll help

I’m in this to support and encourage anyone else on a journey to find and use her/his own creative voice. We’ve got a lot of interesting projects in the works around Grey Heron, and we’ll be sharing more as fast as we can.

One thing I’ve found out through all the battles life can bring to your door, you never fight alone. Tell us your story, we really do want to hear what you have to say, however you choose to say it.

Now get out there and create something.

Create and Live

Create or Die?