The Mona Lisa, automated bobbin winder, optics, Vitruvian Man; Blue Period, Cubism, Ceramics, Guernica. Do we really wish that Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso had been warned of the disastrous consequences of failing to be consistent, to have a recognizable brand? (Not that either one would have listened for a second!). True, some fabulous achievements have been accomplished by individuals whose natural inclination was to pursue a narrow field to its farthest reaches. Equally, however, some of the greatest contributors to our shared experience of history and contemporary life have been inclined toward variety. So, whichever mode is authentic to you, that is where your best expression of yourself can unfold.
In my case, I find it impossible to corral my interests and passions into just one expression. In this blog and on this site you will find my poems (both lined and prose style), paintings (both representational and non-objective -- and even combinations of the two, as above), reportage sketches (quick impressions of current events in watercolor and ink with sparse text), nature journaling including both watercolor and writing, musings on human psychology and evolution (often accompanied by a poem or painting), a bit of science and medicine and, occasionally, a thought about the sometimes goofy, sometimes profound psycho-spiritual journey of being human.
For me, writing poems gets at experiences not well conveyed in any other way, pointing to knowledge we all sense but cannot explain. Painting allows me to revel in a different arena of experience and to see the worlds, inner and outer, in a kind of luminous relief. How could I choose between the two modes of creativity? Why would I want to do so? I have always loved to be outdoors in nature and with my animals. Nature journaling opens all of my senses to see more deeply what is here. Healing with touch and in silence becomes a ground for arising wholeness. And there are so many more paths to wisdom and modes of expression I have not yet found. No, I am not a brand. I doubt you are either, really. So, perhaps you can relate to the messy business of making nothing. C'est la vie.
I am, however, brand new to blogging and web design. I hope for your indulgence as I stumble through it for the sake of reaching out to you.
Lovely to be with you. You already are that which you seek.