Flamingo or Pigeon?

 

I found this little banner at the Dollar Store the other day, and because I like flamingos, I bought it, not realizing it had a saying on it. When I unrolled it and read it, I laughed and hung it up outside as a decoration in my yard. It makes me smile when I look at it.

However, as I was contemplating the meaning, I saw that the most obvious meaning in a worldly sense means ‘to stand out from the crowd.’ It occurred to me that this could be offensive to some of the ‘pigeons’ out there who might choose to look at it negatively, but then I began to see a deeper meaning to it from a biblical perspective.

We are called to be “lights on a hill” to the lost—a bright light of God’s love for His creation. As ambassadors for Christ, how are we doing with that? 

Are we being flamingos, not in the sense of our physical beauty and plumage or lack thereof, but inwardly separated out of the flock of humanity? Or are we hidden in the crowd, doing what they do in order to fit in and be like them so we can be accepted?  We are called to be separate, a peculiar people unto the Lord. Again, as the "peculiar, set apart people" of God, how well are we doing with this?

The other thing I saw was that each flamingo was a different shade of pink—one dark, one medium, and one light.  Skin color doesn’t matter to God for He made us all. We can look at the natural world around us and know that He likes variety and lots of it.

There are all kinds of lessons to be found in the natural world if we but have seeing eyes and hearing ears.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.    1 Corinthians 15:46  

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:   Romans 1:20

Reality on Sale Now

Reality On Sale Now, Mixed Media Collage, 12"x18", Susan K Leslie

Do I really need to know who I am?
Is it important to know who I am?
Why is it important?
How do I define myself?　

Am I what I eat?
Am I what I say or do?
Am I my habits?
How do I define myself?　

Am I merely a physical body?
Am I what I think?
Am I what I feel?
How do I define my reality?　

Am I what others say I am?
Do they know who I am?
Do I have to be what others say I am?
Should I let others define me?　

What am I influenced by?
My job or career?
My hobbies and interests?
My family and friends?　

Should I be what others think or say I am?
Do I want to be what others think or say I am?
Am I responsible for who I am?
Should I be and how can I get there?　

Am I a bad person?
Or am I a good person with some bad habits?
Am I a negative person or a positive one?
How do I know this?　

What is my reality?
Is it always the same or does it change?
Who makes my reality?
What must I accept and what can I change?　

Really. WHO AM I?

Abstraction and deeper meanings

Art Blossum Magazine recently posted on Facebook some pics of the works of Constantin Brancusi, a Romanian sculptor who "was a central figure of the modern movement and a pioneer of abstraction." I've always liked Brancusi's work but when I looked at the pictures of his art this time, I was suddenly struck with the thought that his work could have been a political statement of sorts and I wondered if that were true.

Constantin Brancusi, Danaid , 1913, Bronze, National Museum of Modern Art

I only did a cursory search on him so I have no idea if he had a political bent or not, however, I was interested in my own sudden ability to see the possibility of his art being a reaction to, or possibly a precursor to a growing cultural mindset of detachment from humanity, such that is echoed not only in abstract art, but in current rising violent crime rates, a high divorce rate, a huge generation gap, and families who are, more often than not, distant, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Was abstract art really a reaction to and/or statement about weakening human relationships? I recognize that at the technical level abstraction is seen as a method of simplifying down to the most basic components of something in order to experience the beauty of the parts, colors,or form, the expression of a feeling. I get that. But I believe that everyone and everything is interconnected on an affective level. It's that old cliche 'no man is an island' thing. I have come to believe that what I do and say today, determines my future tomorrow. If that is true now, it has always been true. I just didn't recognize it as such. That means that what I did yesterday, and the day before that, and the year before that, has affected my today.

Expressions and methods of creativity, in any field of endeavor in this world, are not only affected by previous or simultaneous acts and thought, but also affect current and future endeavors and thought in a continuous never ending line or circle. Think drops of water whose rings continually radiate out connecting with other rings and being changed in the process. How wonderful a thing that can be! I know. Who thought that after that rather dismal statement in paragraph two that this article is in fact a positive celebration of life being lived to its fullest!

My art has always had deeper meanings hidden within it that I have not necessarily understood at the time of execution. I would discover after the fact a depth I didn't even know was there. It just seemed to be in there, waiting for me to put it on paper or canvas. I have finally come to that place in my life where I at least somewhat understand that urge and have begun to direct it more purposefully and intentionally. And I love it. The writing of this blog is merely an extension of that creative process for me. I am almost in my sixth decade and my life has never held so much joy or promise in so many ways. I am truly a blessed woman.