Moodboard

Having resolve is different than making a resolution. A resolution is the stated goal. Resolve is what gets you there. Having resolve, we believe, is the kind of mental state which can lift us up from a year like 2020 to whatever lies ahead.

This is my daily reminder to try new ways of doing familiar things and to allow myself to wonder by embracing -- not fearing -- failure. Because in art, failure gets you one step closer to beautiful.

When it comes to home cooking, my idea of food pairing is a “colorful plate.” With chicken (white), you serve carrots (orange) and broccoli (dark green) as sides, and maybe some strawberry (red) shortcake for dessert. You know, to go with white wine. A (brown) meat loaf with (orange) cheese on top might call for lima beans (pale green) and yellow squash, and maybe some Jello chocolate pudding for dessert. You know, to go with red wine.

Music is a magic trick I can’t figure out. Music can take me away, and music can bring me back. How does it do that?

As I say good-bye to my friend, hundreds of thousands of other people across the country are trying to figure out how to carry on without the person they loved. Their grief is amplified because they know all too well what’s happening to the forest and the trees.... not just what we can see above ground but deep below the surface. Can you feel it too? That unsteadiness in the earth below your feet is the crumbling of our collective roots.

Governor Abbott’s executive order made me feel nervous and empowered, much like a new driver climbing into the driver’s seat. The government was permitting me to take (back) the wheel with the understanding that, for my own protection and the safety of others, there would be provisions.

When I searched for “coronavirus news“ on Google, here were the first twenty search results as of 10:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, 2020.

As COVID-19 stole Major League Baseball from the world, all I could think was that COVID-19 had stolen it from Danny. While I can’t give him back the 2020 season, I can give him this doodle.

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley

An excerpt from an interview with Voyage Dallas, 2018.

If I hear myself say one more time, “It was a great learning experience,” I’m going to wash my own mouth out with soap.

My participation in the year-long Fort Worth Portrait Project‘s Profiles of Leadership program in 2017 challenged me by posing BIG questions about my ongoing “artrepreneurial” journey. And to root through old photos to find gems like this one (I’m the dork on the right holding the poster).

You escape from your vehicle, unfolding your body in a deliberate expression of freedom. Arms up! Back straight! Legs fully extended! In that moment — before the relentless clock of your life resumes — you stand in victory, for no matter what happened along the way, you finished this thing you started. Yes, you did. You are the master of all you survey, including that massive pile of dirty laundry.

Sometimes it seems like only way to get things done is to flex your muscles and blame the other guy. Tapping into negative emotions — like anger and fear — is a powerful tool. But if you’re the kind of person who wants to build your house on durable rock instead of fickle sand, you’ve got to close, not widen, the distance between.

I feel less like Snow White and more like a squirrel, shoveling in my mouth every acorn that’s fed to me. Collecting adages, but not swallowing them whole. When I get back to my nest I spit them all out, then try to sort out which ones to discard because their cores are rotten. This is the curse of the sophomore.

When you’re encased together on a 5000+ mile road trip, lines can blur. Brian eats veggie chips now, for instance, and I’ve become a jerky connoisseur. Bottom lines, however, are equally important. Empty beverage containers are simply not allowed to stack up, miles per gallon must be tracked at each fill-up, and the music playlist is driver’s choice unless s/he defers.