Here and Now

Having returned from a month in the pastoral countryside in France, this Monday morning finds me at my keyboard in Dallas. Although I have resumed the habits and schedules I left behind, it all feels quite different.

I worked very hard before leaving town, and there at the end I felt depleted of that mysterious energy that allows me to create. In France I actively engaged in the history, the beauty, the people and the stories that informed each day. Today I feel full, virtually overflowing with possibilities. That's the best result I could hope for. Most artists use a residency as an uninterrupted time to create. For me it's different, since my daily life is all about creating. I used the time to recharge.

About midway through the month I noticed that I was sleeping through the night, and waking with a sense of peace of joy that had been missing. I was full of energy and excitement every moment of every day. I looked at the world around me with eyes that could really see. I practiced being present in the now, and not cluttering it up with thinking.

My challenge is to keep that feeling in my daily life back at home. So far so good, as I have avoided both the phone and the internet for a weekend, and spent time in my yard and visiting with neighbors.

Now I am organizing photos, and I can feel myself being pulled into the studio. I will answer that call.