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 July 10, 2023 by j.g.lewis
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I am normally a list-maker in the physical form, in addition to all the mental notes that continue to clutter my head.
I suppose I like to think it maintains order, or balance. Or both.
I suppose.
Maybe that’s simply a rationalization I use to try and validate my existence or even justify my purpose.
I find, many times, that even if I don’t refer to the list as frequently as I should, it already is meaningful because I took the time to scratch it out.
It is then imbedded on the page and possibly in my memory.
Possibly.
Last week I made an attempt to further clarify this practice. I started (or intended) to work more closely on the list, referring to things I need to take care of (I put myself at the top of the list), matters needing resolution, and issues I need to address.
My intent, as I slowly began the process, was to have it there to check off on daily basis, to monitor my behaviors and concerns, and to even add to the list if required.
That was my intent.
My reality was that by Monday I was already straying from the ideal.
As I sat at my regular Starbucks stool, fresh pad and sharp pencil laid out before me (every day should begin with a sharp pencil), I was distracted by a rigorous thought about an inane pop song from my teenage years that has been showing up all too frequently on the coffee shop playlist.
Instead of taking my intentions in hand, or to heart, I began thinking and journaling about my memories of this damn song, later including it on my website.
The moral of last Monday was to get the insubstantial thoughts out of your head earlier in the week so you are better able to deal with the consequential thoughts and important decisions that will arrive later in the later days.
To me, last Monday, it seemed like a rational thought.
Unfortunately it took away from my immediate intention to construct a concrete, viable list. In fact, I sort of forgot all about the list until Friday. I was then reminded; and had I started the list I would have been continually reminded.
So, this week, I’m going to begin again.
I’ll call it a new list, even though the last list didn’t even get started.
I might even call it a priority list (again, I will put my self right up top), because it really is something I need to do.
07/10/2023 j.g.l.
