Heart Work

I'm always asking my acupuncturist existential questions and luckily he sort of likes to answer them. "Skip," I said, "You know how some people say you should follow your heart, is that a good idea?" He looked surprised, or maybe befuddled and said, "Yes, but it isn't all rainbows." He had a lot more to say about the subject and I was relieved, I had thought that maybe I was doing something wrong for the fact that my attempts to follow my heart had not made my life into a continuous Hallmark Moment. So, anyways, my new found conviction mingled with my artistic endeavors a week later and this new process started that is a lot like my old process before I went back to school. It involves getting out a piece of paper and some art supplies, feeling whatever is in my heart, and then making art with as little regard as possible for the outcome. I always try to make art from my heart or my soul or some higher, more evolved part of myself but because I have an objective of some sort and a desire to be a legitimate artist I find it difficult to stream genuinely during the whole process. I don't actually think that is a bad thing; there is a lot to learn and explore with our own will and mis-perceptions. But I am really glad that I can finally find space to be more focused on the source of my work. It's really just like having a sit-down meditation practice to help oneself remember to be present all day out in the world.