What shows
how little
we know?
What can be is
oft far less than
what we expect.
What is now
has never been
what it was.
07/25/2024 j.g.l.
value beyond
Simplicity.
Is there emotion in austerity?
Humanity?
What do you see when attempting
to define your limited visibility?
Minimalism, abstract impressionism
or incorporeal thought.
Less is more, but is it enough?
Texture, tone, and value beyond
your current scene. If you take it to an
extreme, you will question
what it means.
What is really there?
What line do you cross?
Can simplicity be complicated, or
should it even be attempted?
07/23/2024 j.g.l.
Mondays are just young Fridays
Things will not go as planned. Intentions will be disrupted, even overlooked, in the aftermath of an unexpected reality.
Where you are headed will not be the place you end up, undoubtedly or undeniably. No matter how hard you attempt to make each gesture, brushstroke, promise, prayer, or pastime as perfect as you believe it can be, many times you will not arrive at a perceived destination. All too often your endeavors never hit the mark; at times your work may be better than expected (celebrate those moments), but everything (even your judgement) is subjective.
You are not limited to, or by, the colours in your paintbox or progression of your process.
Imagination is as limited or expansive as you want it to be. Give it time to blossom; in certain instances, you may even have to reel it in. This is all about possibilities, no matter which media, method, or style you are beholden to.
You owe your art (or life) nothing but your presence; the value comes from the practice, as rudimentary or spontaneous as it is or will become.
07/22/2024 j.g.l.
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.
Mondays are just young Fridays
Posted on June 1, 2020 by j.g.lewis
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‘What would it feel like to set an intention that wasn’t about accomplishing something?’
That’s a mouthful, it’s more than a question, but it was a thought posted last week by Susana Harwood Rubin that has kept me thinking about intention, and then, I suppose, goals. The yoga teacher and author wrote the post after reviewing her post-it note reminders of things she needed to accomplish in a day.
We are all, often, slave to the lists on the fridge or reminders programmed into our mobile devices. More often than not, our intentions are goal based; we need to get something done, so we set the goal or make plans to do such.
Perhaps, then, it is not an intention. Perhaps it is more.
Harwood Rubin, wrote that it was “creating aspirational lists of what an ideal me COULD POSSIBLY do.”
So Instead of creating lists or to-do reminders and disguising them as intentions, Harwood proposed setting intentions based on kindness or gentleness instead of results.
The intention may not sound as concrete, or as definite, as those that are result-oriented, but they sound true and authentic. A kindness-based intention sounds like something worthy of thinking on.
I’ve been thinking about it for almost a week, and will continue the thought process for the next few weeks. May was a tough month where my intentions got mixed up and my goals came down to deadlines.
I could use a month of gentleness.
Thus my intention for the month (at least) is rather simple:
be kind
be human
be you
I hope it works out. It is my intention.
I wish the same for you.
It’s finally June.
deep peace
06/01/2020 j.g.l.
