the melange | The Direction of Intention

KS Friday

Posted on April 6, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” ~Pablo Picasso

Every artist knows that technique is necessary but artistry is not the application of technique. Artistry is transcending technique. Technique is tangible. It is possible to practice scales and study color theory. It is possible to grasp that different brushes do different things. There are bottom lines in technique, reductions and rules and complications.

Artistry is intangible. It is flow. It is expansive. It is simplicity and simplicity is so hard to achieve. It is one of those paradoxes I love to write about, the zones where truth bubbles precisely because it cannot be contained.

The first night we met Kerri played her piano for me. I will never forget it. This slight woman stepped up to her piano (she rarely sits when playing) and all reality shifted. She grew. She filled the room. I swear I saw her send an energy-root into the earth and she opened. What came through was…enormous. What came through was simple.

This lullaby, Kerri’s original piece, I Will Hold You (Forever & Ever) from her album AND GOODNIGHT, could certainly be played by a technician and you would appreciate it. Now, for your KS Friday from the melange, listen to what an artist can do. Sit back and give over to the simplicity.

I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER) from AND GOODNIGHT (track 25) iTunes

also available on CDBaby

And because she couldn’t resist designing with this title for babies or weddings or anyone you love, I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER) products.

‘forever and ever’ leggings

read kerri’s blog post about I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER)

kerrianddavid.com

i will hold you (forever & ever), and goodnight ©️ 2005 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: and goodnight, artistry, children, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, expansive, flow, forever and ever, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, love, lullaby, lullaby album, marriage, music, simplicity, society6.com/kerrisherwood, technique, the melange | Leave a comment »

DR Thursday

Posted on April 5, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

kerri calls this morsel, Layered Meditation. a perfect name as it comes from my painting, Meditation.

I believe that every moment of life is a meditation, conscious or otherwise. Your current meditation may be about the anxiety of having enough money to pay the bills. It may be about the frustration of being stuck in traffic – again. It might be about a perceived injustice; blame meditations dominate most of our inner monologues. Of course, you might also be meditating about what to get at the grocery store or what to plant in the garden this year. You might be meditating about how to make life better for your children. Not all meditations are worrisome. Generally, we dedicate a small sliver of the meditation pie chart to the generative.

And, that’s really the point. We choose where we place our thoughts, we decide where we aim our focus. It is a dedication, not a runaway train.

One of my favorite moments in Carlos Castaneda’s book, The Teachings of Don Juan, happens when the master, Don Juan, refuses to place any value in the continued angst of his student, Carlos. Laughing at Carlos’ dedication to his misery, Don Juan says, “You indulge like a son-of-a-bitch!” Discovering and shedding indulgences is a many layered exploration. Shedding indulgences, like cutting junk food from your diet, comes when you recognize that you choose what you consume, not the other way around. You choose what you think, you choose your meditations, not the other way around.

Meditation, 48 x 48in, mixed media

I am relearning this lesson. Lately, in the studio, I find I am meditating on my personal hall of monsters and past injustices. I’ve been taken aback at my dedication to replaying these tales of woe and unfairness. And then I hear Roger’s voice in my head saying, “What kind of a sissy word is ‘fair!'” And I laugh. Laughter is great for rededicating the thought-train. Laughter loops me back to another favorite Don Juan-ism: “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”

LAYERED MEDITATION reminder/merchandise

metal wall art

it makes a cool beach towel!

stationary gift cards, mugs, framed art prints, and more.

PURCHASE THE ORIGINAL PAINTING: MEDITATION

read Kerri’s blog post about LAYERED MEDITATION

kerrianddavid.com

layered meditation & meditation ©️ 2018, 2012 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Awakening, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: carlos castaneda, choice, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, DR Thursday, fairness, indulgence, inner monologue, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, layered mediation, mantra, mediation, prayer, society6.com/davidrobinson, the melange, the teachings of don juan, thought | Leave a comment »

Flawed Cartoon Wednesday

Posted on April 4, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Who doesn’t like a good David-n-Goliath story? Who doesn’t identify and cheer for the little Hobbit facing insurmountable odds, Erin Brockovich, Luke Skywalker, Jason Bourne running at a system dedicated to killing him, Norma Rae,… It’s a ubiquitous story line giving us something to cheer for, someone who feels as small as we feel and yet has the gumption to pick up a rock and walk toward the giant. Students marching for our lives, every woman writing #metoo. There are inner Goliaths, too, that are surprised by the small rock of audacity.

Power rarely takes seriously those they consider powerless. Power is a great distorter of reality. The lavish spender, Marie Antoinette, famously suggested that her starving subjects eat cake. It never crossed her mind that those she underestimated, those she devalued, her powerless subjects, might someday be her judge, jury, and executioner. When power bloats and begins to taunt, when it feels untouchable enough to flaunt, it is a sure sign that there is a David out there, somewhere close by, stooping down to pick up a very small stone.

Goliath reminders/merchandise

‘fearless’ leggings

read Kerri’s thoughts on Goliath

kerrianddavid.com

oh my! you are sooo scary ©️ 2016 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, Power, Uncategorized | Tagged: #metoo, audacity, david and goliath, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, erin brockovich, facing fears, fearless, flawed cartoon, Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, goliath, hobbit, hubris, inner strength, jason bourne, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lord of the rings, marie antoinette, norma rae, power, society6.com/flawedcartoon, speak to power, the bourne identity, the march for our lives, the melange | Leave a comment »

Two Artists Tuesday

Posted on April 3, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

your thought for Tuesday from studio melange

There are a few consistent thought-practices that cut across most spiritual traditions. ‘Just Shrug’ is our version of one of those universal practices. In some traditions Just Shrug it is called ‘detachment.’ Or, spun another way, it is known as ‘take nothing personally.’ Lilies of the field. Centering, grounding, presence, stepping back, quieting the mind,…, are variations on the theme. Practice not taking the bait of the crisis-of-the-moment. “There are 7 billion people on the planet,” Quinn used to quip, “and none of them are thinking about you.” Just shrug.

I laughed aloud when Kerri dashed off this Two Artists graphic because it looks like an operator’s manual illustration for detachment. The little arrows are diagram-perfect instruction for how to begin the practice. Just shrug.

JUST SHRUG reminder/merchandise [mugs and cards and pillows, oh my!]

read kerri’s thoughts about Just Shrug

kerrianddavid.com

just shrug ©️ 2016 kerri sherwood & david robinson

Filed under: Metaphor, Perspective, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: centering, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, detachment, grounding, inner life, just shrug, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, presence, society6.com/twoartists, spiritual practice, spiritual traditions, take nothing personally, the melange, Two Artists Tuesday | Leave a comment »

Chicken Marsala Monday

Posted on April 2, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Once, during a particularly dreadful and seemingly eternal period of lost-ness in my life, fully indulging in my panic of not knowing what to do or which direction to go, Rob gave me some world-class advice. He said, “When you are lost in the woods the best thing to do is stop and sit still.” In other words, the first thing to do is to stop doing anything at all. Just stop. The first step in finding where you are is simply to stop trying to be somewhere else. I laughed out loud.

Be here. Now, you know where you are! The problem of lost-ness is solved. Breathe a bit. Take in the unknown sights and listen. Direction and/or clarity are more likely to become available after a good still-sit.

SOMETIMES WHEN YOU ARE LOST… merchandise/still-sit reminders

stop. sit still LEGGINGS

gift cards

read Kerri’s thought’s on lostness and sitting still

kerrianddavid.com

…it’s best to stop and sit still ©️ 2016 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Chicken Marsala Monday, Metaphor, Seeing, Uncategorized | Tagged: be here, chicken marsala, Chicken nugget, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, direction, found, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lost, lost in the woods, panic, presence, society6.com/chickenmarsala, still-sit, the melange | Leave a comment »

KS Friday

Posted on March 30, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Always With Us (track 14)

Kerri and I had a few days off. I’d never seen Door County so we jumped in the car and headed, as the folks around here like to say, “up north.” On our way back we stopped to say hello to Hans the music producer. Kerri and Hans have been for years dancing around producing an album together. Hans is also an amazing cellist. He gave us a tour through his recording studio and invited Kerri to give his studio piano a try. She sat and began to play. He sat at his cello and joined her. My mouth dropped open and I started to cry. Artistry, when it is pure, does that to me. I found myself standing in a sacred space created by two consummate musicians who were simply doing what they were born to do. They had no idea I was stunned to tears. They were playing around. They were having fun. They played together for about an hour, Hans dashing in and out to get different instruments to noodle around with, Kerri playing whatever came through the channel. I sat in the corner and tried to keep breathing.

Always With Us [solo piano version, track 2]

No recording exists of that day. I would listen to it every day if it did. It was spontaneous and as holy and temporary as a sand painting. On the drive home I tried to describe my experience to Kerri and asked her why she and Hans had never recorded together. “It costs a lot of money to record, ” she said, adding, “and, nowadays, with people streaming music instead of buying it, there’s almost no way to recoup the investment. It’s better to enjoy the process, to have fun playing with someone like Hans.”

I remembered that day with Hans when we chose Always With Us for this week’s melange. It turns out that our melange conversation this week has been all about artistic process: stepping blindly, having faith, landing in pot holes, making bold offers, capturing moments, and most importantly, treasuring the relationship with “something bigger” that comes through when the artist(s) step out of the way and something sacred happens.

ALWAYS WITH US from the album AS IT IS (track 14) iTunes

ALWAYS WITH US from the album AS IT IS (track 14) CDBaby

ALWAYS WITH US from the album ALWAYS WITH US (track 2) iTunes

ALWAYS WITH US from the album ALWAYS WITH US (track 2) CDBaby

PURCHASE THE PHYSICAL CD: ALWAYS WITH US v. 1

KS DESIGNS on society6.com

read Kerri’s thoughts on ALWAYS WITH US

kerrianddavid.com

ALWAYS WITH US from AS IT IS, ALWAYS WITH US v.1 ©️ 2004 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: always with us from always with us v.1, always with us from as it is, artistic process, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, hymn album, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, music, musicianship, process, Sacred, sand painting, society6.com/kerrisherwood, spirituality, the melange | Leave a comment »

DR Thursday

Posted on March 29, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

There is a lesson for me in this week’s morsel. It is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again. It is a basic, a fundamental and perhaps that is why I am once again revisiting this lesson: Focus (perception) is like a narrow flashlight in the night. Where you point it will determine what you see. And, most important, you choose where you point it. And, even more important, what you see is narrow, what you don’t see is vast.

Kerri chose this morsel. I marvel at what she sees and what she chooses for our melange and how it blows back and impacts what I see. This morsel, she calls it, “held in process,’ is a snippet of a painting-in-process. At Skip’s prompting a few years ago I started taking process shots and nowadays Kerri regularly dashes into the studio to make sure I’m taking my shots (“What do you have for me?” she asks, striding down the stairs). I delight in this particular morsel because, when seen in the greater context of the finished piece, it captures perfectly the lesson. It is like a popcorn trail of perception, an exercise in focus-choosing. Enjoy this morsel from the melange. Follow the trail to the final piece. Have fun shining your light on the morsel, Held in Process and on Earth Interrupted II.

the beginning layer, the under painting.

the second layer

pix#1 pix#2

next layers – my favorite: paper sack!

the finished painting: Earth Interrupted II, mixed media 48×34.5 in

HELD IN PROCESS merchandise

II earth interrupted FRAMED ART PRINT copy

wall art

kerri designs all of our leggings and apparel

okay, so, kerri designs ALL of our products. Cool iphone cases…

…and throw pillows! and more….

read Kerri’s thoughts on Held In Process

kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Art, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistic iterations, artistry, creative process, creativity, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, design, earth interrupted, earth interrupted II, Held in process, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, morsel, painting morsel, process, product design, society6.com/davidrobinson, society6.com/kerrisherwood, technology, the melange | Leave a comment »

Flawed Cartoon Wednesday

Posted on March 28, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

a bit of hump day humor from the melange!

One of my favorite things about this week’s Flawed Cartoon is that I drew it years and years before there was a notion of Flawed. I drew it in an era when cell phones were not ubiquitous and looked more like walkie talkies. Were I to draw this cartoon today, my man walking unconscious through the world would be glued to his phone instead of reading a book. The times have changed. Our distractions have gone electronic. However, the manholes of life remain surprisingly constant.

PAY ATTENTION merchandise/reminders [mugs, cards, wall art, cool stuff]

i love this laptop sleeve!

‘I AM paying attention’ leggings

read Kerri’s thoughts on paying attention

kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, FLUB, Navel Gazing, Uncategorized | Tagged: awareness, cell phones, changing times, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, distractions, flawed cartoon, Flawed Cartoon Wednesday, humor, i am paying attention!, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, pay attention, society6.com/flawedcartoon, split focus, the melange, trip and fall | Leave a comment »

Two Artists Tuesday

Posted on March 27, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

A thought for your Tuesday from the melange.

we call these pieces, “just words.” double meaning? perhaps!

If I had to write a how-to book on soul wellness it would be brief and could be summed up with simple phrases like, lighten up, or cease the practice of taking yourself so seriously [or, the inverse, practice not taking yourself so seriously]. Soul wellness and lightheartedness are companions.

Many southwestern native American traditions include a sacred clown. Don’t you love that phrase! Sacred clown. A sacred clown serves many purposes but usually they lob some light into the too-serious-ritual; they shock us out of our attachment to “how things should be” and spin our dials so we can see “how things really are.” Those wacky sacred clowns know that the path to center is more often found with the assistance of light than when stumbling through the heavy dark. Stephen Colbert is a sacred clown. Jimmy Kimmel is, too. John Oliver. There are many great clowns to help us laugh our way to soul wellness.

The jester, the sacred clown speaks truth to power when no one else can. Power rarely likes to hear truth so most often surrounds itself with sycophants. Power needs a mighty sacred clown to keep it honest. The same rule applies with inner monologues and the runaway stories that plague our minds. A good inner-jester, the practice of not taking yourself so seriously, acts as a mighty dope slap, a necessary reminder that an alternate focus, beyond the insurmountable obstacle or the unsolvable incessant problem or the unshakable attachment to being right, is possible.

Feed well your sacred clown and you will invariably find the path to wellness with your soul.

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL merchandise/reminders

‘it is well with my soul’ leggings

read Kerri’s thoughts about IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Edges, Identity, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: clown, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, it is well with my soul, jester, jimmy kimmel, john oliver, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, meditations, old souls, possibility, power, practices, sacred clown, society6.com/kerrisherwood, society6.com/twoartists, soul, stephen colbert, the melange, Trickster, Two Artists Tuesday, wellness | Leave a comment »

Chicken Marsala Monday

Posted on March 26, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

A Chicken Marsala thought-nugget from the melange to help you start the new week

Faith is one of THOSE words. So, as is my practice when wading into one of THOSE words, I look it up before writing about it. And, as is always true when writing about one of THOSE words, I find beautiful ambiguity within the proffered definitions. 1) complete trust or confidence, 2) strong belief based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Complete trust. Spiritual apprehension.

My life has taught me that truth (another one of THOSE words) can only be found within the paradoxes. If you can reduce something to a singularity, a black or white concept, something graspable, then it may be a rule or law but is never a container of truth. THOSE words point to deep experiences, the mysteries that cannot be fully grasped or squeezed into a container. Love is one of THOSE words, too.

We designate the first week of spring by a heavenly marker known as the equinox. Equal night. We look to the sky to understand the happenings on this earth. I’m happy to report that my first sighting of tiny green shoots breaking through the crusty earth in my backyard happened this week. The first sign of spring. The resurgence of green life after months of root-resting hibernation.

I couldn’t help myself. For kicks I also looked up the definition of the word apprehension. It smacked to me of being yet another one of THOSE words. Yep. 1) anxiety or fear, 2) understanding, grasp. Anxiety. Understanding.

Standing before a blank canvas I often feel as Chicken Marsala. I tie on the blindfold and step. Sometimes I step boldly with complete trust. Sometimes I step timidly with great apprehension. It is a full spectrum of faith. And, because I can never know (another one of THOSE words) the best I can do is practice.

cool FAITH TAKE PRACTICE merchandise [wall art, gift cards, tote bags….]