GRATITUDE

THIS WILL BLESS YOU IF YOU'LL TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT: One precious day November 22, 2011 Dear coleen, It seems as if most of the world's artists, at one time or another, have passed through my studio. They come in all shapes and sizes, old and young, rich and poor, from all manner of crafts and disciplines. Some are what we like to call "successful," others are not so. In listening to these folks, I'm always looking for some essential kernel of the creative being, a kernel that might be useful knowledge for others. Sometimes I see what I call "The Gratitude Factor." It's an attitude ripe with observation, enthusiasm and appreciation--a daily configuring of life that includes a sense of wonder. These folks don't miss the moving clouds, the sunsets and sunrises, the tiny flowers of the field. Their days are studded with the bright stars of surprise. While it might be easy to call them "blessed," I've figured their attitudes are mainly of their own making. They've taught themselves how to better love the world. You'll catch my drift if you look at a ten-minute TED talk posted at the top of the current clickback. It includes a video work-in-progress of California photographer Louis Schwartzberg. Louis is a master of time-lapse photography, a branch of art that plays with the mystery of time. "I've been filming time lapse flowers continuously," says Louis, "24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 35 years. To watch them move is a dance I'll never get tired of. Their sensual beauty immerses us with color, smell, taste and touch." Schwartzberg gives a microcosmic example of falling in love--just the thing we need to fill our days with meaning and purpose. "Carpe Diem," said the Latin poet Horace. "Seize the day." We who walk on this particular planet are dealt one 24-hour day at a time. It is an arbitrary span, like the opening and closing of a flower, a time-lapse bloom of its own. Creative people understand this temporary blossoming and learn to take advantage of it. Every precious day is yet another opportunity to serve--to carry further wonder to the world. Best regards, Robert