Taking out loans is quite the concept that we see as normal. I believe it can be helpful at times when you have a solid plan for the future, but for most people, it is essentially like, “It’ll be a big help now and I can worry about it later”.
Most people take out their first [student] loans when the are only 17 or 18 years old. While some at this age may understand what they are signing up for, others don’t fully understand the ramifications (like me). I for one, had no concept of what it would mean for my future.
I will save you from going into too much detail for now, but I urge anybody who has loan debt, to make it a priority over other things they might spend money on. I believe if we take on debt, we shouldn’t be spending other hundreds/thousands of dollars on items we don’t necessarily need. We’re better off putting a portion of each paycheck into paying back this debt.
It’s what I am doing now in order to chip away at my remaining balance on a weekly basis… As much as I’m able to, rather than paying the minimum monthly payment. The minimum monthly payment is a trap.
Instead, pay the maximum that you’re budget allows. This will allow you to have this debt behind you more quickly, in addition, you’ll pay much less in interest in the long run!
Sure college shaped my life, but having to pay back the associated debt shaped it even more.
On lighter note, here’s a foggy photo I took on a trail in the Snoqualmie Pass in 2022. I’d like to create a painting inspired by it someday.
Staying on track in life is a superpower, a miracle. It’s so easy for a new path to take hold, whether in a minuscule way throughout our day, or a broad way throughout our lives. I have to continuously catch myself…
I wonder what it’s like to be the person who has no issue, how has a strong sense for their track and is undeterred by distractions. I hold myself to high account, forgive myself if I do become off track, because each moment is a new chance to be more focused on what is most important.
The upside of entering your 30’s is that ideally you have ten+ years of trying many things, going many places, meeting many people, with the result of attaining a more tuned sense for your place in the world… That is discovering what you enjoy doing most and realizing where your energy is best put in place. Encapsulated within it all is a both a sense of urgency to create a strong, meaningful body of work and experience, intertwined with a casual nature wherein disregarding the seriousness of it, in realizing it need not amount to anything, only the slice of the moment in which it is spent.
The work we do as artists and humans is deeply personal, stemming from what has past, not even always known to us, yet if done properly, it still taps into a universal knowing that travels beyond our visual cortex into the euphoric void, awakening a sense of curiosity, wonder, and awe.
Aside from all that, I’m thankful for how life continues to unfold, the importance I put in various aspects of my life, continuing to check in with myself, gauging where I’m at in relation to where I could be; not in physical location, but my personal reality that progresses over time, which in turn branches out into the network of everybody else. That is basically to say: getting my life in order, keeping it in order, so I’m able to put more energy into performing at my best for those in my life, whether it be brief or long term. And so I can spend more time painting of course.
If something is hindering me, disrupting my daily flow; I notice. I believe it is the difference between being able to figure out a solution right away, or letting it get the best of me day in, day out for weeks on end. This could be as simple as a loose door knob, or something more involved such as a disorganized/dysfunctional workspace. It reminds me of something I heard once, something about how the best tools, gear or equipment is the that which you don’t notice. It should flow seamlessly; you should have to think about whether it’s working properly or affecting your ability to perform. It simply works. This can be carried over into most anything, whether it be a good conversation, interior design, hiking shoes, etc.
With my painting, I notice what works and what doesn’t with my setup, I’m left handed, so my palette must be on my left. I now have a comfortable chair that swivels and rolls so I can more easily play with my dog when she comes to me with a toy. I work on many paintings during one session, so I have a large glass surface to mix acrylic colors. I don’t have the greatest lighting, but I had a nice under-shelf light that I was using for another purpose weeks and months prior. Since I was doing less of that, and much more painting I relocated the light which has elevated my painting experience! I have since purchased another under-shelf light for its original purpose, on my art print work table. This is where I cut prints to size, frame them, package them etc.
To speak on my paintings themselves, I have come to create them to the degree that no brush strokes, no colors, no compositional details will disrupt my viewing experience of the painting. Sure, I may never succeed entirely at this feat, but I can inch closer in closer with each work that I create, working relentlessly to rid it of all flaws that my eye can see. Each painting is another leaping off point— with new techniques, and refined taste gained. While know nothing will be perfect, I’ve found satisfaction, and ultimately comfort in the striving to be better, to encounter less disruptions in the day to day (my dog gets a pass) by having the presence of mind to notice. Sure, there are many things to address in this way, some for a long time now, but they are prioritized, and in time will lend well to the mindful, minimal, and productive life that put emphasis on myself to embody.
art.of.a.rock 