Evolve

Here are a couple little watercolor sketches I did today while sitting on a huge rock next to Oak Creek, while Hansel fished. Nothing Sedona about them, but they just kind of developed from the water and pigment touching the paper. Interesting contrast when I think about it: tree vs. city. I love Sedona. We love Sedona. When we were in the beginning stages of moving to AZ, we really wanted to move to Sedona. Funny thing is that lately I have this feeling that maybe in a year that dream might come true. Who knows.

This morning I was reading Erica’s blog. She presented the question: What were you born to do? Following her question was a sweet video of a man singing opera on one of those American Idol shows but across the Atlantic in England. So what was I born to do? The first word that flashed in my mind was: Evolve. Yeah. Like I said to Erica, I’m not certain if it’s a real deep, philosphical answer, or just plain ol’ cheesey!

Going back to Cleveland this past week was a statement on my own evolution. Many things could be expected: the love of old friends, the serenity of the metro parks, the temperment of the Lake, equaled by the temperment of my mother. I drove through my old neighborhood where I once lived, walked my dog daily, drank in the bars, frequented the galleries, and built a whole treasure chest of warm memories there. It’s wierd when I go back, because it is not home anymore. It exhausts me—the city that is. Something about it just disagrees with my system.

So this time when I left my former hometown, I took with me a portfolio of old art, my beloved acoustic guitar, and I mailed boxes of old photos, sketch books, and journals back to Phoenix—the last remnants of thirty years of my life in one place. My art alone has been through a series of evolutions. I forgot that in all those boxes of stuff was a manilla envelope filled with drawings done when I was a little kid. I was going to throw them away, out of pure purging, but decided to keep them and turn them into a book–a piece of art. Maybe another evolution.

But my whole day today has been reflecting on my answer to Erica. Evolve. Where did that come from? It would have been sensible to say “teach art”, “create”, or “be an artist”..but why evolve? Don’t we all just naturally evolve? The evidence is in the route from baby to elderly. Like a display on evolution in the Natural History Museum, our own bodies will deliver us an evolution free of charge. But I am interested in the evolution of a deeper sense. The fact is, there are many that do not evolve on this plane. Instead they rely on old experiences, familiar fears, and comfortable stories to define their presence as well as their future. I too sometimes fall into that web.

My trip to Cleveland combined with yesterday and today’s visit to Sedona made me aware of a shift in my own evolution. I think it is necessary as well as inebbidible. I think maybe my answer to Erica was simply a welcome mat to my own awareness on this idea. Maybe its time I give it a grand enterance.

Peace & Love.