After Christmas this year, my son and I drove to New York. It has been a long time coming as with Covid, and the lockdowns it was impossible.
I drove to Texas from New Jersey, 37 years ago; it was a three day drive, leaving the only home I ever knew.
The difference between the road trips of the past and this year; this year it was all about purpose. Driving to California, also on 40, -first time to the Grand Canyon, with a very close friend, catching up with the present, reliving the past and sharing thoughts on the future. Not as much scenic interest, more shared wisdom.
The next trip to Tucson; finally meeting a client who’s become a great friend even if we had never met until this year. The trip was about gaining great wisdom, learning more about writing and time to meditate in the desert.
Tucson 2021 Artbygordon 2021
The third and final trip to end 2021: a trip to New York with my son. We talked for hours about everything from growing up, to life in the military; he’s in the army.
Gordon Grave stone in New Jersey: Artbygordon 2022
In New Jersey, I introduced him to my childhood home, even Tommy’s Pond where I first fell in love with fishing. We visited my fathers’ and grandparent’s graves, we reconnected with family and walked through the city of New York while navigating the subway.
New York City 2022 Artbygordon 2021
There is a distinct difference between traveling alone with no connection to your life and connecting with people on a long trip. The road becomes more of a supportive role instead of the main focus. The road can get a bit monotonous even as much as it is intoxicating.
When I travel alone, it is more about the beauty and passion of my art and love of nature instead of the connection to myself with friends and family: each have their own integral perks.
I would not consider 2021 a bad year, not even the most tumultuous year I’ve experienced but it has been filled with self reflection.
I’ve learned many skills-I got certified in Illustrator and Photoshop, learned about new techniques at work and even created a marketplace website which I am still working to perfect.
I have met some very interesting people that have brought me much inspiration and taught me great things about myself and about living life on ones’ own terms. I also rekindled old friendships and discovered new ones-I plan on breaking out of my comfort zone this year.
This blog is the result of learning from a seasoned blogger about the art of blogging. I have so much still to learn. https://www.makingsenseofcents.com
Some things I’ve learned this year
Have an open mind, even if the challenges are out of your spectrum. I’ve always prided myself on trying anything but often it’s the attitude going in to it that makes all the difference.
I learned about creating a website that sells services, learned about stripe and web development. Again, so much more to learn. www.butler.world
I learned about what I enjoy the most, even while the stresses of daily life goes on, I always go back to illustration. Painting has been on the back burner this year but I can’t wait to get back. I’ve been able to illustrate several books, learned about the power of marketing through word of mouth and even that actions can often be exhausting if you spend all your time on the wrong processes.
I learned a lot at a writer’s conference in Tucson, meet a friend and client who I’ve worked with for ten years without ever meeting. I listened to many talented writers on subjects like self-publishing, creating a successful patron following and the art of writing in general.
I got a new view of the road from California to New Jersey, introduced my old hometown in Edison, New Jersey and realized how long a ride it is across the country. The older version of myself would have wanted to stop every moment but both times, this year, it was about friendship and time spent with my son.
Health and Well Being
This year I learned about Sciatica, the many intricacies of depression-I am working on a book about the subject-2022 might just be the year I finish it.
When you’re in pain, either mentally or physically, sometimes you lose your perspective but so many people this year have given me such perspective and peace-I couldn’t name them all if I tried.
These three people have inspired me not only to seek purpose but how much possibilities are at our fingers if only we listen and believe in ourselves and look to others for support. We are all needing people right now, these examples of humanity have truly made me rethink my approach to life and even social media.
A Winter Storm
I close this post with a February storm, four days of cold and isolation. It makes one want to reconsider their life, set out on a new course to discover all the remnants of what one’s life is supposed to mean.
This year, I seek purpose, joy and a feeling of being present. If I can keep all the chatter at a minimum perhaps you’ll join me on the other side. Oh the Things we’ll learn in 2022.
Doves: Pastel October 2006: Artbygordon Copyright 2006
Poetry-A flock of birds
A poem about grief-the image is from watching a flock of doves fly by as I was going to my grandmother’s funeral. It seemed like a sign that she was okay and all was as it should be. Poetry – A flock of birds was a poem written on the day and it recollects a specific moment.
Out of the cold, the remnants of melting snow, The crackling of ice on pavement a familiar sound of birds…
I was seeking peace, doves above me, rise and fall the sound of morning and all I needed was peace
The sound of toil on a telephone pole the incessant builder, digging a hole.
I was seeking purpose nothing stops in nature, every Machine says its so, I was desperate for purpose with no specific place to go
The richness of red in a winter landscape remembered as a child, they call them a soul seeking attention,
a high pitched chip as I walk home the realization of joy, is knowing we’re never alone so why do we feel so, alone
I was seeking silence, I was wanting joy, a familiar soul in the sounds of birds among the trees a small child I used to know
A poem I wrote when my grandmother passed away as she was 92. I saw this scene as I was driving to her funeral and the poem wrote itself.
Drunken Tree Frogs – Where did the tree frog idea come from?
Drunken Tree Frogs – So why combine tree frogs with images of alcohol? Why not?-tree frogs are some wild animals, you remember the bull frogs of Budweiser, it’s not the first time that amphibians showed themselves as party animals.
Back in 1994, I was working at Taylor Publishing Company, my portfolio consisted of yearbook illustrations, a very limited collection of very rough line drawings.
My brother was working for Dallas Semiconductor and after a second urging to submit my resume, I gathered my drawings into the semblance of a portfolio.
I added a very rough drawing of a green tree frog I created in Arts and Letters-the only experience illustrating on a PC, I barely learned on a Mac through working nights and weekends but had no experience on a PC.
Family members urged me not to include a tree frog illustration which had nothing to do with the electronics work I was applying for. The frog illustration was the only thing that proved I could do the work, I got the job, Dallas Semiconductor had all PCs.
I learned, I adapted, much like how the tree frog I illustrated adapts to changes in its environment. Hyla graphics was born but really it never happened, I even had the logo but Artbygordon replaced Hyla. What does a green tree frog have to do with design?
Drunken Tree Frogs – A love of science and the sound of waterfalls, a creative departure
When both of my son were very young I collected tree frogs, building waterfalls in several tanks, always perfecting the fall of the water, the sounds and the beauty of nature in my studio. We have fond memories of watching the red eyed tree frog wake up to crickets chirping, while my son was being rocked to sleep. They were special moments. Stay tuned for the story about building waterfalls and what inspired that creative departure.
Green Tree Frog: How I got my first job in High Tech: Story to come.
Really, What is a NFT?
It has been years since I’ve thought of illustrating a tree frog again-a friend asked if I could do an illustration for a NFT-what is an NFT? No really, someone explain it to me. I saw a series of fat apes, so I decided to do a series of drunken frogs, because I love tree frogs.
The beauty of this series is it gives me the ability to play with branding, create text for the enjoyment of writing, connect several elements that don’t fit together and illustrate them all-all of my creative passions on the same image.
Creativity without limitations
Creativity without the limitations of a committee is quite liberating. The passion is untainted and the options are endless. I don’t know where the series will go, even as the next image continues to show itself, I am enjoying the process of all my creative passions in one project-maybe Hyla creative will be resurrected, for now I’m just having fun.
The next Post-The Joy of Waterfalls (A Creative Departure).
Creatives seek light, even as much of our greatest inspirations come from experiencing darkness and trying to make sense of it.
A photographer uses light to show the visual world in a way that others might see the beauty or the lack of it as they see it.
Sometimes, especially during the holiday season, we lose the ability to see or feel the brilliance of light. While spectacles of decorated trees and glistening icicles dangle from roofs in the neighborhood, all we experience is the separation and darkness.
Still, this is not a post about darkness, it is about light and finding it when it seems so foreign at times. We need to stop and realize where we are, take a breath, appreciate the moment instead of the lack of presents or even the idea of buying presents and realize what the season is truly for.
There are so many poignant memories connected with the holidays, there is an expectation of love and togetherness but often many of us feel the opposite.
In 2019, it was the first time in my life, I didn’t get a tree. I can’t say I gave up on it, I just didn’t feel it. Last year I began the tradition again and this year, it’s could go either way-although I plan on buying one before the actual day.
What always seems to happen is when I relax in the season instead of seeking expectations, Christmas happens despite me. Our family has grown to include my son’s wife’s family, my nephew and nieces’ significant others and even a granddaughter who we are all excited to meet.
The act of writing, allows the writer to see and appreciate the truth around them. Sometimes life moves so fast we get lost in the current. I write this post for all of those who are lost in the season, who’ve lost loved ones, are experiencing depression or separation and for those who just feel the stress of the season.
Light is all around us, we just need to stop, to actively experience the season on our terms, at our pace and with our intentions of what is most important. Only then does the holiday show itself, almost magically becoming what it was meant to be, of love, of peace and good will to all.
I will be buying a tree this week and celebrate the season as it shows itself, in Gods’ time and intention. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year or what ever holidays you celebrate-make it however special you fit, find the light, be patient and accepting for where it shows itself.
Every time I walk the dog, the silence allows me to think, even as ideas run rampant, I still find some time to be both introspective and spiritual.
Nature remains the muse that has always motivated all my creative pursuits. It grounds me and gives me peace, even if I’m not available to accept its amazing benefits.
I describe creativity and how it relates with depression like your mind flying at a thousand miles an hour, your body at one hundred and life somewhere between the two.
HOW I FOUND QUIET
To find quiet, you must organize the constant stimulus into a more digestible fragment. I am learning the discipline of stopping myself before the feeling of becomes overwhelming.
Turn off the TV, I listen to music, I stop doing anything and relax, I listen and walk the dog: all options to find peace and calm.
I learned this on two recent trips. Going on a trip can be overwhelming, the person that is on the trip is a different person from the stressed, overwhelmed traveler who races to the airport, makes plans and stresses about the outcome.
Every view is like an intricate painting or tapestry of rich warms and blues each fighting for dominance
Artybgordon Tucson 2021
Artbygordon.com more photographs from trip: Tucson 2021
I went to Tucson recently, I stayed with a friend, a writer I’ve worked with and never met. Being out of my element, without the ability to stress, to go look at my computer, to escape with useless television and I was able to become truly calm and peaceful.
The desert continues to be a source of amazing peace. I learned to touch rocks, to listen to birds, to notice colors that are not always evident when one is rushing around. I found peace and enjoyed it for almost a week on my return to normal life.
So how does one find a quiet mind? Life is stressful, any life worth living has obstacles and tension, fears and turmoil-we actively find nature and stop long enough not only for it to find us, but for it to get into us and change our minds.
TEN WAYS TO FIND QUIET
Ten things I’ve learned in the last few weeks after amazing and restorative trips across the country.
Find tme in every day to do nothing, to listen, to breathe deep, to be present.
No one will stop and force you to be present, that is on you.
Dare to imagine and be creative without any plans for where a project is going-I am doing a series of drunken frogs, because I want to-that’s an enjoyable departure from the norm.
Nature doesn’t change, it is how we perceive and accept or reject it that makes all the difference.
Take time to tell people around you, they matter and how valued they are in your life.
Enjoy something about every day-all the details will work themselves out in their own time.
Realize when you are getting overwhelmed and change what you’re doing.
Be grateful for all the things you take for granted every day.
Turn off the television, don’t be afraid of quiet.
Take great joy in simpler things, walk the dog, play with rocks, listen to the birds, sketch without any expectation.
Just the first on a long journey to find quiet in a mind that is constantly exploring new thoughts and ideas. This blog will be about well-being, creativity, art, mental health, nature, writing and photography. I hope you will join me on this journey-Artbygordon
A repost from March 15, 2015-this is the beginning of my social media journey, this is the first in a series.
So much to learn, so little time. I have worked feverishly to learn as much as I can and use the marketing tools that are more easily available and affordable than ever. My thought is before showing your art; build an audience to show to.
I have learned that you can’t fake social media. It’s not something you can throw out a like or two, connect a little, stay outside the crowd and give a comment now and than.
The point of social media is to connect, really connect with people, customers and friends who may know other customers and other friends. It replaces the coffee shop where every one goes and tries to be social and ends up isolated behind a laptop.
If you spam, you will be rewarded with a big slap down from the powers that be. Spam is more than just sending out stuff that no one needs, it’s trying to build connections based on your needs and not whom you are connecting with.
Likes are very common but comments and interaction, that’s a very different thing. How do you resonate with a group of strangers and make them friends instead of strangers. You connect with honesty, you show them that what they are doing is important to you and you share and share more.
If you think your doing yourself a favor connecting with multiple tweeters, this is where spam has an open door. Your numbers of followers will grow quickly but so will your spam files.
Connect with genuine like-minded people with some of the same interests as you. Choose your followers and whom you follow wisely, all tweet followers are not the same.
I have noticed shares and plus 1s have replaced the likes and the random follower now and than. I have learned more about the people I connect with, been invited to join more groups and have had some wonderful conversation back and forth.
I have also learned the idea of SEO optimization-you better get the words out you are there and the only way is tag, tag and tag some more with words that are proven that people are searching for. Ask yourself why other artists dominate the Google search and learn from them.
I have just updated my website-www.artbygordon.com-something that has needed to be done for quite a while. It was created in wordpress and I am enjoying not only the increased functionality of available development tools but also I am being able to streamline all of my social media avenues through the site.
This is all about building a brand. Build something that connects all of your media, improve how the Internet finds you and make sure when some one does find you; you are available to connect, yes truly connect. Next blog post, positives and negatives of building a store and what exactly that entails. Please stay tuned.
Some very helpful links for artists marketing themselves.
Art, Nature and creativity: 2012-Photoshop illustration about nature, the night sky and water. Artbygordon 2021
This blog is about lessons: past, present and future, plus a lot of nature, photography and art-I have multiple blogs full of writing and this blog will be the center of the Artbygordon website and all the avenues of writing. I have a Patreon site and those who join will have access to special holiday ornaments, photographs not shared elsewhere and drawings of future paintings. I also do a newsletter which I will be sending out on a monthly basis. Let’s talk about Nature, Photography, Art and how all of them offer the chance for our mental well being.
My suggestion-we can’t save the world, but we can make our world brighter and more beautiful. Surround yourself with Art and Nature and share them with others.
Artbygordon Blog – Visit Artbygordon website for art, photography and more writing about nature. I want this blog to be about getting closer to nature, to learn how nature can restore and comfort. I want the reader to see how nature teaches us and gives us answers we didn’t even realize we were looking for.
This is a blog about well-being and how nature, art and literature are integral for our mental health.
