Blowing Smoke?

Yes, Summerfest is now over with a grand total of 3 art prints sold. (One of which was to a supportive friend.)

Lets just say I know how Van Gogh must have felt when he said this:

"One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul and yet no one ever came to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on their way."

-Vincent van Gogh

Years, months, days,... hours worth of planning and creating new art have passed and are gone. Was it a success? Was it all to no avail? No one yet knows.

How do you measure the worth of soul? Is it by the money she makes or the heads she turns? When value is over-looked, is value then lost?

In Bangkok, there is a small temple that encloses a large Buddha statue made of gold. Before 1957, the statue was only known to be made of clay and remained that way for several hundred years. It was only until the clay cracked under immense stress that it's true value was revealed.

For many years, I have thought myself the value-less clay statue. Chiseling away the hardened mask continues to be a difficult task. I struggle to hold on to the hope that I might be made of gold on the inside as I put myself on display.

"Why does it matter", some might ask, "that your art didn't sell?"

Answer: It doesn't. It only matters what I think of myself and whether I am making a difference in this world.

A lighthouse can never see the many weary travelers it has brought home until the light of the dawn hits the harbor at the end of the storm. My goal was to be a light in the storm for the passers-by... That, through my passion for color and child-like play, I could bring a smile to the faces of those who would stop. That through my courage to shine, others might too.

In that, I believe I have succeeded. I have found my direction and have rededicated my efforts... I raise my head, that was hung in defeat, and smile. I will try even harder next time. For, to me, it is not just art; it is following my God-given destiny to brighten up this world and help others find joy in living in the moment.

Though my dreams have not yet taken flight the fire in my heart will continue to burn... For all you weary passers-by, come, stay awhile and partake of it's warmth!

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)