I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: August 2021
Today will not go like
it was supposed to go.
It has a lot to do
with yesterday.
I am hoping things
will be back on track
tomorrow.
08/04/2021 j.g.l.
Posted on August 3, 2021 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
There is so much ahead
of us, and we have no idea
what even lies in wait. Surely,
there is certain to be as much
mystery as difficulty.
Isn’t life always like that?
Even changes will change,
and change is often difficult.
Embrace the obstacles; they
will, in some way, make you
stronger. They will make you
think. Shouldn’t you do that
more often? Think about it.
08/03/3031 j.g.l.
Posted on August 2, 2021 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
Last August, feeling a bit down as COVID-19 stretched into another month of isolation and physical distancing, I decided to take a step that would force a little bit of happiness into me.
I undertook a one-month self-imposed ‘Art Immersion’.
There wasn’t a great deal of planning to it, and the plans continually evolved, but the essential theme was to take part in art each and every day.
I took my camera with me on my morning walks. I visited the art gallery weekly. I read about the artistic process of others, and I sketched and I wrote and I consciously created whenever I could.
One of my favourite activities was settling in for my ‘non-judgmental’ art sessions where I would paint by the lakes hore an hour or so at a time. It was concentration on the process, not the product.
I knew it was good for me.
I could feel it.
Come September, I settled back at my desk and made progress on a manuscript that had been bothering me for a while. For he next few months I approached everything with a little more vigor.
Art is my comfort zone.
Yesterday, while sipping my morning coffee in my usual park, I pulled out a pencil and sketchbook and admired the flowers on the trees in the 19th century garden. It wasn’t a long session, but it got me thinking.
I decided I was due for another ‘Art Immersion’.
Let’s face it, this whole COVID thing is hanging around longer than we thought possible, and I need to clear my mind of the confusion that seems to have settled in again. A little extra art, right now, would do me some good.
Now, I have a few specific projects in mind. I’ve got a manuscript that needs more attention and, in March, I started to, again, paint with oils. I’ve got a few large paintings underway, but I believe I need some more random hits of art, a few more trips to galleries, and a little more of an attitude adjustment.
I believe I need the stronger focus this month is intended to provide.
08/02/2021 j.g.l.
