Pulling Weeds

 "You have made a place in my heart where I thought there was no room for anything else. You have made flowers grow where I cultivated dust and stone."

 - Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time

If this blog is a garden, it is definitely be full of weeds by now.  I haven't been kind to it, and to be completely honest...I've forgotten about it on numerous occasions and for long periods of time.  I know there aren't hundreds of people reading this; I mean seriously - five people checking out this site would be a good day.  But, being read by others is not really my intended outcome or achievement here, and I know that sounds ironic seeing as this is a public space and not an ongoing private word doc.

I do 'journal' on actual paper at home, and I fill it with mostly found objects, photos, quotes, etc. that inspire me in some way.  In fact, it looks a lot like this site in that it's mostly a record of what I'm feeling, loving, missing, wanting, and needing, shown through the images that I choose to post plus a written thought or paragraph from me.  Having a public space vs. my tangible notebook, however, keeps me accountable to the invisible few readers who happen to stumble across this site.

So, I'm going to try to spend more time in this garden, nurturing the inspirational blooms, the beautiful, the items and ideas which provoke thought and essentially, growth.  To that same end, I need to constantly be pulling the weeds, the empty spaces, the negative energy that can slowly take over if not tended to swiftly, and let it go.

Nurturing the growth and pulling the weeds -- maybe that's the purpose of this blog.  Constant care.  Consistent inspiration and ambition.  I can wander with purpose.  I can adventure while carrying 'home' with me, refuting the idea that 'peace' means I have to stay still.    

  


 Goodnight from this blogger/soon-to-be constant gardener.

xoxo

A

Art As A Vehicle For Change: "La vie est chère et les temps sont dure"

Could And Would It Ever Be Integrated Into An Early Childhood Educational Curriculum Praising A Political Or Social Outcome As Its Purpose?

This is by no means a new concept.  We accept art as social commentary even when that purpose is unintentional by the artist; we search for it, grab it and gladly reappropriate a work to serve our cause(s) as the viewer.

It still never ceases to amaze me how much awareness can be brought to an injustice through the work of an artist or team of artists.  I would even go so far to say that the belief in the ability to change or shed light on an unfortunate situation through using artistic talent and skill is the driving force behind more artists than any other force to create works.  Here's hoping that we can recognize that fact and use it in our education system to give students the chance to use art as something more than singular expression - it can be an acceptable form of communication of the need for change in an area to which they'd like to draw attention.

Check out this excerpt from EndingHunger.org:

EndingHunger team recently received a powerful music video from a team of Cameroonian musicians. The video starts with a couple’s quarrel about rising food prices. “How can I live on so little money?” the wife nags and her husband gets angry.{READ MORE AT THE LINK BELOW}

Ending Hunger | Rapping against high food prices

 "The producer and the cast of this video clip are all from Cameroon where political unrest spilled over into protests over food and fuel prices."  - EndingHunger.org

“La vie est chère et les temps sont dure.”

Oui. Read more on EndingHunger.org & follow the cause @EndingHunger on Twitter.