Gratitude | The Direction of Intention

Put It On A Post [on Not-So-Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on October 23, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

littlefreelibraryBOX copy

Paul often told the young actors he taught: never underestimate your power to influence or impact another person’s life. Stepping onto a stage comes with a responsibility. I loved his advice and thought it was much more universal and should be heeded everyday. What you do matters and it matters in ways you probably will never understand. We are always and in all ways participants in the butterfly effect.

In a short walk around our neighborhood you’ll discover several Little Free Libraries, an idea that came from Todd Bol as a tribute to his mother. She was a lover of books and his idea to honor her caught on like wildfire. In 2009 he built a little schoolhouse shaped box, put books in it, and stuck it on a post outside his house. He invited his neighbors to borrow them. He had no intention of creating a worldwide movement yet in the 9 years that have elapsed since he built his box, Little Free Libraries have popped up in over 80 countries. It became a movement. An entity with a mission. People borrow books. People share books and ideas. Neighbors stop and check out what might be new. The boxes themselves are often little pieces of art that Joseph Cornell might have assembled. Little Free Libraries are community connective tissue.

Todd Bol died last week. It seems only right on this Not-So-Flawed Wednesday to stop and take note of the very big ripple one small box on a post set into motion.

read Kerri’s blog post about Todd Bol

book/hire/buy

Filed under: Flawed Wednesday, Gratitude, Possibility, Uncategorized | Tagged: books, butterfly effect, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, impact, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, literacy, Little Free Library, mattering, readers, small actions, small things, studio melange, the melange, Todd Bol | Leave a comment »

Stand In A Greater Story [on not-so-flawed Wednesday]

Posted on October 10, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Three years ago today Kerri and I were married. It was the single best day of my life. We were married on 10/10 and the ceremony began at 11:11 exactly. Our friends tease that the reception started, not mysteriously, at 12:12.

The great advantage of a second marriage is that you feel no obligation to meet expectations or obey any “should-dos.” It was a blue jeans wedding. We wore black (like we do every other day of the week) and matching Frye Boots. Our ceremony was a storytelling. Kerri wrote a song for me. There were lots of hugs. A ukulele band played us out and we spontaneously skipped down the aisle just like we’d skipped out of the airport on the day we met.

At the reception (12:12 on the dot) we had a food truck serving burgers and sweet potato fries. There’s a back story to burgers and fries but I’ll save that for another day. It’s enough to note that the food truck wasn’t a random idea but part of a greater story – as with everything we planned for our passage ritual into togetherness. We had Yamaha’s daisy cupcakes and MaryKay’s brownies. We had hula-hoops and kick balls. We danced until after dark and moved to the beach for a bonfire. So many special people came from all over the country to celebrate with us. A legion of friends and family helped us make it happen; our wedding was (and still is) the love equivalent of a barn raising.

A greater story. Second chances do happen. Broken roads sometimes lead to vibrant gardens rich with lessons, endless appreciation of the small things, and a sense of utter amazement that this is where life brought me. Brought us. I was wrong to write that 10/10/15 was the best day of my life. In truth, it marked the source of a river of best days. Each an anniversary, a day of life in the story of ‘us,’ a greater story.

read Kerri’s blog post about FRYE BOOTS ON A RED CARPET

love it

Filed under: Flawed Wednesday, Gratitude, Love, Uncategorized | Tagged: anniversary, bonfire, burgers and fries, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Food trucks, Frye Boots, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, ritual, second chances, studio melange, togetherness, us, wedding, wedding day | Leave a comment »

Realize It [on KS Friday]

Posted on October 5, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

i am alive song box copy

Years ago, at the retreat center on Whidbey Island, Kendy talked with me about her budding meditation practice. She was having difficulty quieting her mind chatter. To help, a teacher gave her a mantra to use in her meditation. The mantra gave her busy mind a focal point. It was a simple phrase: I Am. I Am. “It’s the craziest thing,” she said, “I feel like I need to add a description, I Am…what? I am happy? I am fulfilled? I am a loser? I am bored? And then it occurred to me that it’s the descriptor I’m trying to quiet! Why do I need to define everything? Judge everything? Assign a score to everything? Isn’t the whole point to realize how profound it is to be alive? I Am.”

There is a photograph of my uncle Al, just months before he died of cancer, fulfilling a dream of flying on a trapeze. At the moment of letting go of the bar, he reaches into space. The catcher is not in the frame. Al’s face, wracked with his disease, is shining with the joy of his moment. The simple pleasure of his moment of I Am.

There is a lyric in Kerri’s song, I Am Alive, that brings me back to my conversation with Kendy and the enormity of her realization. It makes me miss Al. The lyric goes like this: we are bonded by the power of this dream that is I Am.

Cut through all the chatter-of-the-day and it’s plain enough. It’s simple enough. Add the final descriptive word to the I Am. Realize, as Al did in that gorgeous moment of flight, of not-here-or-there. I Am Alive.

I AM ALIVE on the album AS SURE AS THE SUN is available on iTunes & CDBaby

read Kerri’s blog post about I AM ALIVE

i am alive/as sure as the sun ©️ 2002 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Awakening, Edges, Gratitude, KS Friday, Transcendence, Uncategorized | Tagged: as sure as the sun, awakening, cancer, cancer survivor, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, I Am Alive, inspiration, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meditation, meditations, realization, society6.com/kerrisherwood | Leave a comment »

Step Off The Treadmill [on DR Thursday]

Posted on August 23, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

sunrise, sunset copy

The county fair is over. Kids are heading back to school. Parents are taking their all-grown-up children to college. The rituals of summer’s end are all around us.

I was delighted when Kerri chose this morsel for this week’s melange. It comes with good memories. I painted A DAY AT THE BEACH after an afternoon at the beach last year. We were in Plymouth. The day was waning. We wandered. We played word games in the sand (I lost miserably, Kerri gloated loudly), watched children squeal and play in the surf, felt the heat of the day cool as the sun dropped below the horizon, the breeze that comes with sunset. There was no place we needed to be. There was no place we’d rather be.

Isn’t that the gift of summer? An intentional pause. Giving yourself the gift of stepping off the treadmill, forgetting about the list of things-to-do? Sun and the space to play.

Master Miller has been sharing with us photos of his summer fun with his young son, Dawson. A day of surprises at the art museum. Coloring together, surrounded by crayons. Adventures for the sake of adventure. Art making for the sake of art making. Laughter in the discovery, the pure joy of shared experience.

All of this goodness comes to you in one little morsel. Kerri calls it Sunrise/Sunset.

A Day At The Beach, mixed media, 38 x 52IN

read Kerri’s blog post about SUNRISE/SUNSET

www.kerrianddavid.com

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sunrise-sunset/a day at the beach ©️ 2018/2017 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: DR Thursday, Gratitude, Play, Uncategorized | Tagged: a day at the beach, beach, cycles, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, end of summer, intentional pause, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Plymouth, presence, rituals, shared experience, society6.com/davidrobinson, studio melange, summer, sunrise, sunset, the melange | Leave a comment »

Read The Back [on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on July 31, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Nothing I paint on the front side of this canvas will be as interesting, as vital, as curious, as the note that Duke scrawled on the back. It’s a mystery story. Duke has been gone for a few years now and his son, our dear 20, brought Duke’s canvases to me. Treasure upon treasure. For some reason, one day, Duke dipped a brush into black paint, flipped his canvas around and left us a note. An impulsive celebratory act on New Years Eve? Or, perhaps, in a moment of disbelief of world events, he scribbled his note in sarcasm?

Of course, there’s another possibility- and this is my bet – ‘Welcome to the 21st Century’ was the name he gave to his painting, the image that he created on the front side. He didn’t like it so he painted over it. He returned the canvas to white space, opened it to new possibilities.

That leads to an even greater mystery. After scrubbing the image, he flipped the canvas around, dipped his brush one last time into the white paint, scrubbed the date (3/93) but left the title. And in quick broad strokes for emphasis, framed his title, transforming it into a note. The back of the canvas becomes the front. A title transformed into a message.

I feel as if I’m having a conversation with Duke. The painting I created on the front side, on the white-space-possibility that he reopened, is one of my Earth Interrupted series, number 7. It is ironic or, perhaps, poignant? Put his title and my title together: Welcome to the 21st Century: Earth Interrupted. Apt, yes?

earth interrupted VII, 36 x 48IN

read Kerri’s blog post about WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY

www.kerrianddavid.com

welcome to the 21st century/earth interrupted ©️ 2018 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, Gratitude, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: 21st century, art, artistry, artists, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Duke Kruse, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, legacy, mystery, painting, possibilities, society6.com/twoartists, studio melange, the melange, Two Artists Tuesday | Leave a comment »

Savor Good Moments [on KS Friday]

Posted on July 27, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

When you find yourself wondering what it’s all about, play this game: fill in the blank, “In this life I have….” Fill in the blank again and again and again, searching your memory banks for all the magic, mysterious, and miraculous experiences you’ve enjoyed. The good moments.

I like this game because, inevitably, I arrive at the realization that the good moments are the smallest of moments. Although swimming with whales or seeing the northern lights are miraculous, the really good good moments are first kisses, watching your baby sleep, holding hands after the storm passes. Laughing hysterically with friends just because.

Kerri’s composition, Good Moments, is a musical river of small moments, quiet yearning, tender touches, the smell of autumn leaves. Play the game and begin with Good Moments. It will transport you back. It will unlock the door to your memory bank. It will also help you realize that this moment – this very moment – is a very good moment, indeed.

GOOD MOMENTS on the album THIS PART OF THE JOURNEY available on iTunes & CDBaby

read Kerri’s blog post about GOOD MOMENTS

www.kerrianddavid.com

good moments/this part of the journey ©️ 1998 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Gratitude, KS Friday, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged: appreciation, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, good moments, Gratitude, inspiration, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, learning, life, memory, music, presence, relationships, small moments, society6.com/kerrisherwood, studio melange, the melange, this part of the journey, truth | Leave a comment »

Raise A Cup To Unka John [on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on July 17, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

We are fortunate. When we travel Unka John (aka 20) takes care of DogDog and BabyCat. Not only are our pets in excellent hands but they generally can’t wait for us to leave so they can have some Unka John time. They love their Unka John. We suspect that the party rages from the moment we exit the city limits until the moment we return. DogDog and BabyCat sleep for days after time with Unka John.

As parting advice, Unka John always tells us to “get some coffee! And make it espresso so you don’t have to stop a thousand times.” Sage advice for the over 50 traveler. It is our custom with each espresso stop to snap a photo and text it to him, “Cheers from Nashville. Missing you!” Or, “A double shot to get across Kansas! Want a cup?” If we’re ever lost, Unka John will be able to tell the authorities our location based on our last known coffee stop.

On this Two Artists Tuesday, raise a glass (cup) to those special people, your Unka Johns, who have your back, who cover your base, who worry about you, who care for your beloved DogDog and BabyCat, those precious guardians, givers of care.

read Kerri’s blog post about Espresso Cheers!

www.kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Gratitude, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: 20, BabyCat, caregivers, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Dog-Dog, espresso, Gratitude, guardians, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, society6.com/twoartists, starbucks coffee, Two Artists Tuesday, unka john | Leave a comment »

Say Goodbye [on KS Friday]

Posted on June 15, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Sometimes I ask myself how many of my days in this very finite life have I lost just trying to get through. How many times have I looked forward to the end of the day, to the escape of sleep and the hope of a better day tomorrow. How many times have I reminded myself to BE IN my moments, to live them fully regardless of their pleasure or pain. What’s the rush?

Lately, after life handed me a second chance, rather than getting through or looking for an end, I am relearning. I ask myself, not to yearn for sleep, not to hold my days and moments so blithely but to live all of it so when I at last crawl into bed at night, I can honestly say, “I hate to say goodbye.”

HATE TO SAY GOODBYE on the album BLUEPRINT FOR MY SOUL is available on iTunes & CDBaby

read Kerri’s blog post on HATE TO SAY GOODBYE

www.kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Gratitude, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: alive, blueprint for my soul, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, embrace your moments, Gratitude, hate to say goodbye, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, live life, presence, second chances, society6.com/kerrisherwood, studio melange, the melange | Leave a comment »

No Words. Just Thanks.

Posted on April 22, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Filed under: Art, Gratitude, The Direction of Intention, Uncategorized | Tagged: david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Gratitude, kerrianddavid.com, painting sale, society6.com/davidrobinson, studio melange, the melange | Leave a comment »

KS Friday

Posted on March 23, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

On this KS Friday from studio melange, a moment to breathe and listen.

A few hours ago we loaded several large canvases into our car. They were from Duke Kruse’s studio. They are canvas stretched and prepared by Duke. They are blank, the canvas he never got to use before he passed. He was a gifted painter, a brilliant artist. I never met Duke, but his son John [we call him 20] is most dear to me, a brother. 20 thought Duke would want me to have his canvas. I am moved to tears to be the recipient of this legacy.

When DeMarcus stopped painting, in the middle 90’s of his years, he gave me his brushes and his paint box. I drew all of Chicken Marsala, all of our Flawed Cartoons, all of Beaky’s books with nibs and handles that DeMarcus left for me. They are my treasures and make each image, each drawing that much more special.

Somehow I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of Tom’s story, the carrier of his legacy. Every day of my life I recognize in my bones that I carry a bit of Quinn’s vast wisdom in my marrow, his generous gift to me.

I am rich in Legacy. This sparkling river, this quietly moving piece from Kerri’s first album, always carries me directly to thoughts of my mentors and friends, to a sunset from the porch on the ranch, a room lined with books, yellow pads and red felt-tip pens, a studio with just a hint of turpentine and mineral spirits in the air.