Drought, Resilience and Art
When tagging and sorting market lambs this fall I was pleasantly surprised at their weights. A look back at a few photographs from the summer season and the surprise seems unfounded. So does the dry conditions of the prairie apparently. All I took note of this past summer was the lack of water and the abundance of grasshoppers. I missed what the prairie was doing, how much it was continuing to grow, regardless of the hardship it is under. I have been going on at length about the dry conditions here and yet even with drought and grasshoppers the photos show an abundance of quality food that any sheep would be eager to dive into.
There is a resiliency in the land that makes my heart sing to see it, the weights of those market lambs are all nature’s doing.
This makes me pause to consider what I have been missing in my pursuit of being artist. At first glance into my studio what I take note of is the growing pile of abandoned efforts, ruined attempts, and false starts. Some days it’s a struggle to even go into the space and try again. I don’t even see the successes of the summer. I forget that while I am struggling with a new medium pieces are still selling. I forget that, as long as I show up and put in effort, what will emerge is a skill set I did not have before. What will emerge is artwork that is my own style and therefore re-energizes me. I feel as though I am in an artistic drought, meanwhile my artistic resiliency is being built, the seeds still being planted for when that hint of rainfall finally does arrive.
This brief reflecting brings me around to sheep of all creatures, and to a solution that sounds a little like heaven to me. I know it works for them… when you do get going, just go ahead and graze, do not stop until satiated, and always begin again well before you feel empty. I believe the last part is key. If life would cooperate with such a schedule I’d be a happy camper indeed.