Time or Space?

"Man transcends space, and time transcends man... We all take part in a procession through its realm which never comes to an end but are unable to gain a foothold in it....Space is exposed to our will; we may shape and change the things in space as we please." - quote from The Sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel.

I think it is because man has no foothold on time that he becomes obsessed with shaping and changing things from 'time' into 'space'. When I create, I want to capture, preserve and shape a moment in time. By changing from time to space, I am able to do that. It is a similar desire when sports fans with a remote hit replay. Or when the 5 year old who loves the funny face you just made says, "do it again!" Or when we take photos. These are all ways in which we convert time into space. This has become a common exercise for people in the western world as they somehow have attached proof of their existence to things in space rather than ideas in time. My question then is, if time is eternal, and space is not, then shouldn't we be leaving a legacy in time rather than space? Through my art, I can work out ideas about relationships, life, longevity, morals and values. Art can be a catalyst, the way to open the door to more meaningful thought, especially thought about what meaning our lives have when we can only hope to occupy space for 80 to 90 years. I like to think about converting my existence in space to existence in time through a relationship with the Creator of all. How about you?

Where have I been?

I apologize for not being able to blog recently. There has been a lot of illness in our family. We are on the mend now.

to learn, or not to learn

I have been thinking about what defines a person as a good learner. I thought if a person had the right tools or reference, a good setting, aptitude, and an interest in the topic that the rest would fall into place. But since I have been teaching, I have realized that it is more than that. Attitude can really decide whether you learn anything at all. No learning situation is ever perfect whether it be in a classroom or through life experience. A bad attitude can be the biggest barrier to learning, whether or not we have the best tools, instructors, or resources. The most wise among us have learned what they have through an attitude of humility and willingness to consider anything that comes their way, even if it is outside of their comfort zone. In my opinion, this is the key to mental, physical and spiritual growth. If a person is to ever reach there full potential they must master humility, the most difficult virtue of all.

sob...I'm so confused!

Have you ever tried to do business through email? If you have, you'll be able to relate. I have been working on Freelance illustration projects with my good friend Angela of Angela Chan Design for more than 10 years. Angela lives in Vancouver and I live in Prince George, a physical distance of at least 1200 kms. Creating via telephone and email has always worked for us. We joke that we work faster now than when we lived in the same city and relied on courier service. This last week was different. After 4 phone calls, copious emails and 3 rounds of drawings I had to admit that I was confused. Confused about the content for the drawings, confused about the deadlines and confused about my work relationship with Angela. But then I also find myself entering a room with a pencil that needs to be sharpened, and leaving the room carrying a sock. And occasionally I'll stop whatever I am doing and just scratch my head as if stirring up the dander will some how complete those synaptic whatevers that happen when one thinks. Maybe I have too much going on, or... maybe it's mental-pause.