Things that aren’t visible annoy me to some degree. Wind. Wind comes to mind first. It’s composed of an invisible something that is a force to be reckoned with. It makes me believe in the power of invisibility. I want to see what is around me, and the lack of substance adds a ghostliness when I hear it or see it stir, confirming the existence of the unseen.
That annoys me some days. Like time does. Time’s mark more invisible than anything. It’s super annoying to deal with the same constant thing every day. I’m sure that’s why time holds most annoying feature of my day. Maybe it’s actually because most of my life I’ve felt like there’s this huge clock hanging just over my shoulder out of sight range. It’s ticking silently but I feel it. It’s not really there, I know, but when you “feel” that it is, it IS.
Time is constant. It is we that fly by. Taylor Collins
Time is the main reason I am still working on parts of a memoir for the past 30 years. The difficulty arises in picking the timeframe worthy of writing about. I write about everything. No minutia is too small for my attention-deficit self to traipse after. In the beginning of my time as a creative other, there would always be enough time to savor quotes, to chase elusive dead ends, to maybe pour more concrete into little known facts. The one true thing, and this took a while to soak in as I’ve known it like forever, time is the one constant thing in everyone’s life. It is we that fly by. This is the last opening first sentence of my would-be opus, but the focus changes continually. At the moment, the purpose of a mentor is my main attraction/distraction as this component of creativity is critical if creativity is to be your life’s ambition. But be assured, time is not fooling me. It is not flying by. Of that I am certain.
Seeing several young artists this week makes me aware of how important it is to help mentor them in both small and large ways whenever possible. Making a memorable moment is the least any of us can do for our youth. They have years ahead of them to accomplish what we couldn’t. Or at least that’s my dream and hope for them if I can find a couple of words to inspire them for an extra moment or two. It took me a lifetime to have my own gallery with studio. It is not wasted on the young, how fun this would be.
Choose wisely your follies is my advice today. You can spend your days chasing the light. It’s elusive like most things in life but way better than staying in the dark. I gave a young artist, a small ballerina painting that caught her eye. Nothing sheds light in the world more than a child artist feeling special.
Taylor
Onward… as this moment is gone forever…
Collage/mixed media/poetry by N Taylor Collins (sold to an astute collector)
The past ticks closer Moves away Swings closer still A pendulum suspended in an old kitchen clock When it was working When you remember it has to be wound