meaning making | The Direction of Intention

Ask The Question [on DR Thursday]

Posted on January 10, 2019 by davidrobinsoncreative

a morsel of Tango With Me. Kerri calls this one ‘Palm Trees.’

I’m proud of Skip. He decided that learning to paint with a palette knife was the best way this year to work on his soul. In my eyes, it is a sure path. He sent photos of his first efforts. Luscious in color and texture, they are abstracts. He showed his efforts to his wife and received the single question that no artist can answer yet it is the first question that every viewer-of-art asks: what is it?

It is the assumption of representation. The need for location. The desire to be told what “it” means. No one wants to be wrong or offend so they ask the artist to provide the interpretation – which will rob the viewer of their own experience. It will short-circuit the relationship between viewer and painting. As Joseph Campbell quipped, ” If the artist doesn’t like you, he (or she) will tell you what it means.”

Color, form, composition, and movement. Art. Abstraction. In a world of individualism, abstractions are capable of telling a different story unique to each individual. They refuse to locate you and, instead, ask you to participate. Make meaning. Don’t seek what is expected, bring to the painting what is evoked.

It creates a tension. It calls us to sit in the paradox of our times. Is there one meaning or many? How is it that people so devoted to self-expression believe they can best express their individualism by shopping together at The Gap?

At the center of potent art, at the bottom of great learning, is the same question: what is it to you?

Tango With Me, mixed media, 39 x 52IN

read Kerri’s blog post about PALM TREES

tango with me/palm tree ©️ 2018 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: abstract art, art, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Joseph Campbell, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, location, meaning, meaning making, painting, palette knife, society6.com/davidrobinson, studio melange | Leave a comment »

Reach With Wonder [on DR Thursday]

Posted on January 3, 2019 by davidrobinsoncreative

“One of the reasons that we wonder is because we are limited, and that limitation is one of the great gateways to wonder.” ~John O’Donohue

I loved this canvas before I painted Cloud Watchers on it. It was old and used. Chunky with layers. I can’t remember how it came to me but I do remember thinking that it was the Velveteen Rabbit of canvas. Loved. Well worn. A long history – that is to say – filled with lots and lots of story. Perfect.

And, how appropriate that it is living a next chapter as Cloud Watchers, part of a series that I call ‘narrative.’ All narratives – inner and outer – are projections. Life’s stories are image transfers, meaning imposed just like the meaning we place upon the movement of clouds. There’s a duck! Look! There’s a dragon, a dinosaur, an elephant. A fear. A goal. An opinion. Mr Magoo! Belief! There’s Thomas Jefferson! The Buddha.

We reach with wonder from our isolation. We touch through imagination. We are cloud watchers full of story, filling the air with our stories. We are glorious creators all!

cloud watchers, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 49.5In

read Kerri’s blog post about CLOUD WATCHERS

cloud watchers/morsel ©️ 2002 – 6/2018 david robinson

Filed under: Art, Creativity, DR Thursday, Perspective, Story, The Direction of Intention, Uncategorized | Tagged: acrylic painting, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, images, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meaning making, narrative, narrative series, narratives, painting, projection, sense making, society6.com/davidrobinson, story, storyteller, storytelling | Leave a comment »

Get It Done [on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on November 19, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

productive avoidance box copy

When Master Miller tossed this phrase my way I laughed out loud. Isn’t it often the case that the closer we come to an important moment the more we pour our excess nervous energy into any and every distraction? And, isn’t it a bonus if our distraction of choice is actually productive? I’ve washed a lot of dishes in an effort to keep myself occupied! A younger version of me ran miles and miles in fits of productive avoidance.

In the years since Quinn helped me see that no one really knows what they are doing I’ve decided that almost everything is in productive and/or creative avoidance. No one wants to peer into the great not-knowing. Like everyone else, I want to believe that what I do matters, that I am imbued with purpose. I want to believe that I have chosen my destiny and am storming down my path. And, what might I see if I could step out of my all important story? What might I find beyond my grand narrative? It’s scary stuff! Productive avoidance makes for some great distraction!

Kerri and I have an ongoing conversation about things that matter. At the end of the day, there’s only a very few things on the list. The rest? Well…at least we are getting things done!

read Kerri’s blog post on PRODUCTIVE AVOIDANCE

Filed under: Edges, Energy, Merely A Thought Monday, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged: avoidance, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meaning, meaning making, narrative, productive avoidance, productivity, purpose, story, studio melange | Leave a comment »

Let It Catch You [on DR Thursday]

Posted on November 8, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

a morsel of Earth Interrupted IV: shadow of division

Sometimes you have to stand still to let what you seek catch up to you. Kerri said that to me one day. Her words found their way into me and then became a poem and then the poem found its way into a painting, Earth Interrupted IV.

This week the painting found its way into a morsel for Studio Melange. A wisdom inspired a poem, became a painting, became a morsel called Shadow Of Division. Today, it becomes a post. Which, I am sure, will inspire another poem or a song (anything is possible in our house).

Art begets art. The well of possibilities is bottomless. And, rather than chase the possibilities as was once my strategy, I am learning to stand still. A wisdom, a poem, a painting, a morsel, a post about cycles and all things life giving.

Earth Interrupted IV, mixed media 48 x 36IN

read Kerri’s blog post about SHADOW OF DIVISION

My favorite thing about shadows? They blend divisions. They make cool new and surprising shapes out of seemingly separate things. Transformation is so simple and just a small shadow away.

shadow of division/earth interrupted IV ©️ 2018 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: art, art cycles, artists, creativity, cycles, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, earth interrupted, inspiration, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, life cycles, meaning making, peom, poetry, possibilities, shadow of division, shadows, society6.com/davidrobinson, stand still, studio melange, the melange, wisdom | Leave a comment »

Choose Your Meditation [on Not-So-Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on November 7, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

peace marbles copy

We found Peace Marbles in a basket at the door of Leap Of Faith, a small shop in Cedarburg. It’s one of our favorite shops for obvious reasons. Many faiths are represented in the shop so translate the accompanying lyrics/prayer/meditation accordingly.

The idea is ancient. What fills your mind-space, your meditation, is what you will create. Meditate on hate and that is what you will see. Focus on lack and that is what you will experience. Although it might not seem like it, what you think, what flows through your noggin on a daily basis, is a choice. It is a placement of focus. It is a prayer. A meditation.

Peace comes when people collectively focus on peace. A community chooses where to place its focus as readily as does an individual. It’s all in the narrative, the stuff flowing through our conversation, our storytelling, on a daily basis. It is a creative act – not something that ‘happens to us.’

A Blue Marble

It seems we could use all the help we can get. And, you never know, a fleet of little blue marbles rolling around in pockets and purses as reminders might be just the thing to help us choose to place our focus on the better things. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

read Kerri’s blog post on BLUE MARBLES

Filed under: Creativity, Flawed Wednesday, Seeing, Uncategorized | Tagged: Blue Marble, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, faith, focus placement, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meaning making, meditation, parayer, peace, studio melange, the melange, thought | Leave a comment »

Reach The Other Side [on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on October 29, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

lifebelowzeroquotesueaikens copy

Nope. This is not a political comment. Though it could be. Context is everything though I couldn’t blame you for assuming this is a statement of ideological division. Simple statements are rarely friendly in divided environments. They are meant to reinforce the division, to broaden the divide. We are inundated with divisive simplicity. We are drowning in out-of-context sound bytes.

No, this saw concerns the simplicity of survival. It’s quote from an episode of Life Below Zero. Sue lives above the arctic circle. She measures and ties guide ropes on to her buildings so she can find her way around her compound in white-out conditions. If she reaches the knot in the rope – a knot that marks the exact distance to the door she seeks – and hasn’t yet reached the door – she knows she must hang onto the rope and scribe an arc. Left is always left. Right is always right. The door will be there. If it’s not, if things go awry and she can’t find the door, she can follow the rope back to the safety of the place she just left.

Sue is a font of simple maxims born of the harsh necessities of her environment. Her rope is a statement of preparation. Her rope ups her odds of survival. No rope, she dies. Her simplicity is not ideological. It is necessary. It is meant to cross divides, to help her reach the other side.

On second thought, maybe this is a political statement after all. Or, perhaps an appeal in our harsh environment. Maybe Sue will come down to the lower 48 and teach us how to use a rope and give us a few simple suggestions for how to reach the other side.

read Kerri’s blog post about LEFT AND RIGHT

Filed under: Merely A Thought Monday, Metaphor, Uncategorized | Tagged: aphorism, context, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, divides, harsh environments, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, left, life below zero, maxim, meaning making, reach the other side, reaching, right, studio melange, sue aikens, survival, the melange | Leave a comment »

Fill It In [on Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on September 19, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

FREE2-4yearOlds copy

A truism: In everything there is a story and rarely do we know the full story. At best, we see partials, a snippet, and from there we draw conclusions, make judgments, fill in the gaps with dedicated certainty in made-up meanings, interpretations, and projections from our own experiences. Imagination runs rampant whether we recognize it or not.

We laughed when we saw this note. It was lodged in a gutter, having blown from the spot where the last of the 2-4 year olds was claimed. Kerri said, “Darn! I wanted a three year old.”

“Why a three year old?” I asked.

She shivered, shaking a specific memory from her mind and replied, “Anything to avoid the terrible twos.”

read Kerri’s blog post about FREE 2-4 YEAR OLDS

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where’s FLAWED CARTOON?

Filed under: Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged: david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, interpretation, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meaning, meaning making, projection, story, studio melange, terrible twos, the melange | Leave a comment »

Enjoy The Chase [on Chicken Marsala Monday]

Posted on August 27, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

It’s always an interesting exercise to revisit past work and see it through eyes of the present. It ‘opens’ in ways that were unavailable when the work was first produced. That’s true of my paintings and Kerri’s music. It is also true of our Chicken Nuggets. We created most of these single panel “nuggets” two years ago – along with a full cartoon strip for proposals to syndicates.

My present-day eyes see essences. For instance, this Nugget perfectly encapsulates the the work I do with most of my coaching and consulting clients. The growth happens when the sheer enjoyment of the chase takes precedence over the obsession on the catch. The catch is temporary, passing. The chase is infinite. It’s the chase that matters.

Shift your focus. Said another way: It’s not the achievements. It’s the relationships that matter. It sounds like so much hoo-ha, a Hallmark card philosophy. Yet….

Joseph Campbell said that people think they are looking for the meaning of life but in truth they are looking for the experience of life. The experience of life is found in the moment, in the relationship, in the chase. Meaning is always found in the experiences, not the other way around.

On this Chicken Marsala Monday, shift the focus of your eyes. Embrace a simple dose of hoo-ha, enjoy the chase. It is what matters.

read Kerri’s blog post on IT’S NOT THE CATCH, IT’S THE CHASE THAT MATTERS

www.kerrianddavid.com

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Filed under: Art, Business, Chicken Marsala Monday, Seeing, Uncategorized | Tagged: chicken marsala, Chicken Marsala Monday, Chicken nugget, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, experiences, finite and infinite games, focus placement, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, life review, meaning making, relationship, society6.com/chickenmarsala, the chase | Leave a comment »

Make It Up [on Flawed Cartoon Wednesday]

Posted on August 15, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Language is beautiful. It is referential and, therefore, easily manipulated. Not all strings of letters arranged in sequences of words point to what you might expect. Thus, my fun with space invaders! Of course, it is too enticing to wade into the current pool of nonsense surrounding the phrase ‘space force.’ If you want to entertain me you’ll send me fun images of ‘space force’ misdirection. I have a few roiling in my brain that I just might draw and share with you.

Oh, and my favorite language question of the week: how is it that a sequence of marks and noises is meaningful? Well, humans have to be good at something, right?

read Kerri’s blog post about SPACE INVADERS

www.kerrianddavid.com

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Filed under: Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, Language, Uncategorized | Tagged: david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, flawed cartoon, Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, language, meaning making, misdirection, referential symbol, society6.com/flawedcartoon, space force, space invader, studio melange, symbols, the melange | Leave a comment »

Prayer [on DR Thursday]

Posted on May 17, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Naming paintings is problematic for me. I’ve never been good at it. Sometimes I bristle at it. People project their own meanings into the images I paint (as it should be) and sometimes the name I’ve given the piece gets in their way. A favorite quote from a Joseph Campbell lecture: “If the artist doesn’t like you he will tell you what the painting means.” At openings, when people ask me what the painting means, my standard response is, “What does it mean to you?” I like most people though most people dislike my standard response.

Nowadays Kerri helps me find names. I ask her what she sees. We talk about the paintings and usually a phrase or name that I like floats to the top.

This one is simple and obvious. Prayer. One who looks inward and entreats.

PRAYER gifts and cool stuff like wall murals