My Lost Joy
Stories behind the paintings and where I found my place
Recently I came across a video of a very happy dog playing in a big puddle of a backyard. Enthusiastically, recklessly, and with vigor this big puppy splashed and danced his way through the wet mud.
I've come to learn that this is Stevie the Labrador who has a disability called cerebellar hypoplasia. It's an inadequate development of the cerebellum, a section of the brainstem largely responsible for modulating motor impulses. Affected dogs and cats therefore fail to move normally, especially when it comes to maintaining normal balance, posture, and coordination (Click on Stevie's pic below and it will take you to a video and article that The Dodo did on him).

This disability has not stopped Stevie from enjoying the wet mess that he prances into and around. His 'personal' circumstances haven't stopped him from enjoying this little bit of life in his back yard.
When I first saw Stevie in the puddle it brought a smile and a chuckle so I watched him again. and again. I realized I have puddles in my life and one in particular I haven't splashed in recently; it was my art.

It's not that I haven't been involved in my artwork or creating new things and planning new ideas. Ninety nine percent of my art is with business in mind, calculating production, time tables, marketing aspects, and planning that sucks the life out of the art. It has become agenda driven to keep things less messy. My business thinking and circumstances keep me away from the puddle and I felt that I have lost the joy of creating. At least a good portion of it.
So for me its time to find a puddle of art and splash and dance in it. To go in whole heartedly. Without calculations, plans, timelines, and cost. Without worry of the mess but to dance freely with my brush and paint and not let my personal circumstances curb the outcome. Do you have a puddle you need to dance in today?
Blessings

By My Own Hands