Flash Cards & Art

That Oh-So Wearable Feeling

Y’know that moment where you finally get a glimpse of something you’ve been after, and it kinda makes you gasp from the power of its revelation? Maybe it’s the answer to a deep question that has plagued you since you were 12, or blessed clarity that suddenly appears in answer to “What should I be DOING with my life?”… or maybe it’s just something stupid simple like “What shoes should I wear with this outfit that don’t hurt my feet?” Hey, it can be anything! But I’m talking about that second when the fog just starts to lift and what’s behind Door #1 shows itself for the first time, giving you just a taste of awesomeness yet to come. When I walked about the corner and saw this mountain framed with a flaming blaze of glory… I gasped like that. And of course, had to photograph it. Then I wanted to wear it – forever!

Flash Cards For Good

New question: Does anybody out there remember flash cards? (Work with me here, it all relates!) Personally, I was never fond of them when I was a kid; they always made me feel like a performing puppet, a pavlovian dog, a circus chicken, taught to perform for bits of corn. In my day, they were actual cards and the teacher flipped them up in front of you, with a haughtily expectant look that always made my mind go blank and my self-confidence plummet. Especially in math. (Cue the sad string section.) They’re online now, so maybe they’re better. I dunno – I’m afraid to look! But the truly powerful thing about flash cards is the way they stick with you, like, forever. They make you not just remember with your brain – they make you FEEL – and embed those feelings way deep inside.

This cool little article over on Brainscape.com ‘splains a bit about why this approach is so friggin’ effective. Used for good and not evil, this whole notion can be a wondrous thing! The feeling I had when I turned the corner, saw this mountain  and actually gasped is something I want to remember.  Wear. Live from. It was a magnificent feeling of revelation, of glory – and looking forward to it is absolutely a reasons to get up in the morning! I find that the more I surround myself with “flash cards” for that feeling, the more often I actually experience it. And pretty soon, it’s part of my everyday reality selection; it’s how I live my life.

Art & “The Moment”

That right there is one of the values of Art, I truly believe. To remind us – to embed within us – the full-body experience of wonder, of joy, of glorious light and beauty. They’re like flash cards for a really rad life. Some of the best artists & creatives I know consciously surround themselves with amazing Art.  Not to be all show-offy and seem better than you… but over and over I hear them say that anytime they get a block, feel less than inspired, need a boost… they drift into one of their favorite art pieces and Voila! They get a little reset back into their joyful/happy/glory zone and are back to being brilliantly productive again. It’s one of the things I imagine sharing within every piece I create – because I can’t imagine anything more thrilling than creating that wearable feeling, or “Gasp!” for someone, right when they need it most. [Cue choir of angels singing] Yeah, like that.