Tim's Cocina

I've been thinking lately of the creative process and its impact on me and society.  Creative things, thoughts, and activities inspire me, I've always been intrigued by how a song writer or an artist comes up with their interpretation of a text or subject and how they communicate that element.  Sometimes when I actually stop to listen to the words of songs I'll say wow "I didn't think of it that way" or "that's a unique way to say that" or "that's so true".

It's a new year and a time for making resolutions or in my case setting new goals for the year to come.  Beyond that I always try to set a theme for the year that I try to follow or that I use to inspire me in what I do. Sometimes (actually most times) my theme just comes to me randomly I don't force it (anymore, I used to try).  Sometimes it comes before the year starts other times it comes after the start of the new year and other times I've just carried over the theme from one year to the next.  Well this year I wasn't even thinking about it when it hit me:  Studio, Sanctuary, Suburbia. 

I was pleasantly surprised, I hadn't been thinking about it, nor was I fretting it and it wasn't on my horizon.  I was just sitting there drinking some tea after Christmas and it came to me, and each word made sense and had a particular meaning.  I didn't know the exact meaning but I just knew it fit.  It fits where I'm at right now, and gives me something to go on for the year.  I feel inspired. Because, this year I'm expecting some changes to come my way.  I'm actually forcing some of these changes as a way to get myself out of this rut I seem to have gotten stuck in somewhere along the way.  So the theme just coming to me is in a way a confirmation that I am heading in the right direction.

So, today as I was walking to the garage the thought of creating a "sanctuary" occurred to me after discussing with my wife about cleaning the yard and making some changes to our plants and property.  I realized at that moment that these things don't happen by themselves.  My yard currently is the result of leaving it to it's self for too long, I will have to actively make changes to the yard or it won't happen, I have to purposely make it a place of peace or a "sanctuary" or it will remain an unruly jungle. 

Maybe this is how the artist comes up with their "works of art" part inspiration part active participation, and it is probably the moments of inspiration that carries them through the hours of perspiration.  So, I'm inspired to pick up some tools and get started, for now I'm going to focus on reshaping my garage into a studio and once Spring begins to kick in I'll start the process on the yard.  But tonight while drinking a cup of tea I'm going to get started writing down some goals for this coming year while I leave you with this thought:

"When we form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out"

-St. Chrysostom