“When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becoms an inventive, searching, daring, self- expressing creature. He becomes interesting to people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible.” – Robert Henri
Many of you who read this blog know me to be a person of endless rabbit trails. My sisters, if asked, will roll their eyes and list off the countless mini-obsessions that they had to endure (everything from leper colonies to all things french). My Mom, well, she sums it up as my simply becoming a character in one of the ever changing fantastical stories being composed in my head. How about you? Have you ever had one of those moments where you discovered something so incredible you thought you might burst if you didn't share it with the world? The hole in the wall cafe whose owner made you feel like you had just arrived at home, the song that caused a knowing smile to spread across your face (this band is destined for greatness!), or the book that met you at the perfect moment (articulating a dream hidden deep within).
You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. ~ Clay P. Bedford
We live in an age where a wealth of information and potential inspiration is at our fingertips (countless bloggers, pinners, iReporters, youtube prodigies and so on), not to mention we just kicked off 2013, with probably a few resolutions/goals. Each of us has a unique role to play in this grand story, but many of us get stuck between inspiration and action. Perhaps we are waiting to receive a detailed map or hoping to be presented with a perfect plan? Much of the time pursuing our dreams requires the great risk of taking the first step onto a dark path we know we have been called to but we can't see in it's entirety. Oh and did I mention there will most likely be struggles and challenges along the way that test the core of who you are?
I remember hearing a quote that went something like “how many authors have gone to their graves with unwritten books” and I wonder how many of us are living unwritten lives?
“Perhaps a book is a weapon; perhaps an unwritten book is an even more powerful weapon than one which has been published. It has a way of filling the air with its menace or its promise, the sweet art of what might have been.” - Colm Tóibín
My hope in curating these “common folk collections” is to provide a glimpse of inspiration, a platform for dialogue, and resources for activating your dreams (i.e. – events to attend or experiences to create, opportunities to network, books to read, perhaps even a new obsession?). You are the curator of your own: collections, inspirations and dreams. May you be inspired to become a master of your craft and invest it into the common good.
"Creative visionaries with a purposeful mission to be of some use to humanity always change the status quo for the better." - Origin of Inspiration, Samuel Adoquei