“Something needs to be said about Rosa Parks other than her feet were tired… Lots of people on that bus and many before and since had tired feet… lots of people still do… they just don’t know where to plant them”
— Nikki Giovanni’s “Harvest” (quoted from Rosa Parks with Princess Weekes on You’re Wrong About)
Just like mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of healthy fungal networks, paintings are the fruiting bodies of my solitude. Disturbing solitude has the same effect that tilling soil has on fungal networks: bad.
“Painting and magical powers seem very much the same. Sometimes I’m unable to paint a thing. … I tried and tried, but nothing I did seemed any good. They were copies of paintings I’d seen somewhere before … and not very good copies either.”
– Ursula, Kiki’s Delivery Service
It turns out we’re really good at staying at home. Like really good.
Some post-graduation goals I have: (1) run a half marathon, (2) learn to use power tools, (3) read, (4) write, and (5) draw. Am I having a quarter life crisis or do all my post-grad wishes sound like retirement hobbies?
I did end up running that half marathon (never again), but wielding power tools is still in the domain of wishful thinking. Commuting 3+ hours per day is great for reading, and starting this blog is helping me (re)discover my writing voice. Drawing is something I’ve always enjoyed, and I don’t want to wait until I retire to make it a priority.
The Signpost in the Shade is a pair of paintings painted for a very special pair of people in our lives on the occasion of their wedding.
Storytellers as they are, The Signpost in the Shade, is a story written by the bride for the groom on his birthday, about a month before they got engaged.