I was sitting in my Women in Lit and Vis. Arts class today, mostly zoning as I tend to do in...well all of my classes, ha. Then a topic came up that sort of struck a chord, so my ears perked up a little. We were talking about art primarily; my teacher, who is an artist himself talked about a time in college when he had to shut out much of civilization in order to work. He said that it just got to the point where so much was inspiring him, which was a good thing, but at the same time, he found himself 'mocking' in a sense their works.
I thought about this in a lot of different ways. Just think about it, let me put it in terms where a wide variety (i say this like more than half a handful of you read this, ha ;) ) of you can grasp where I'm going. Say you're a songwriter, you've been listening to the same artist, or genre for a while, with little variation. Where does your songwriting tend to go? It kind of goes with that vibe, that style, right? When really, you might have something else you want to say, a different way of saying it, different sounds...but you've almost cornered yourself into this mold. The same can be said for organizations. You might work for an organization that does something you believe in, and you want to help...but the only way you can figure out how to help is to follow the same trend that everyone else in the organization is doing. When you might have a new idea in your head that could, to think BIG, change the world, but you're in this mold again. Does that make sense?
The same thing can be said with people. We all have people in our lives that mean a great deal to us. & quite frankly, at some point in our lives, we're going to want to "be like them". Whatever that means. Maybe we listen to the same music, maybe we wear the same clothes, do the same things...in some attempt at being the type of person they are. I sometimes notice this in people, you hear one of them talk...then another, and really without looking you can't tell who's speaking because they sound just the same, and speak of the same things.They might be from opposite ends of the continent, but they've worked at mimicking eachother...probably unintentionally. I don't know if that makes any sense. I'm not dogging this in any way. I'm guilty of it at times. I think you just find someone who you admire so much, someone who holds every quality that you would want for yourself, the type of person who in a cliche wording "lights up a room when they walk into it"...and you just want to be like that person.
I guess the point I'm trying to get across with this rambling is don't look at your life in comparison to someone else. Don't strive to be like ______. Be yourself. Find what your heart beats for. Grab YOUR passion and run with it, even if you're doing it in a completely different way than anyone around you has ever done or thought about doing it. Even if it seems crazy. Go for it.
Isaiah 64:8 "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand"
That is what came to my mind when we were talking about that today. How appropriate is it, art class...clay, haha.
Seriously, think about that. We are all masterpieces of God. & just like a potter with clay, when that work of art is made, it is UNIQUE, INDIVIDUAL. NOT ONE THE SAME.
It might sound silly, but the day I got baptized, my preacher gave everyone in my church a stone. It was only a stone, all of ours were different, and they were to represent each of us, as a "living stone" of God. When he handed me mine, there was a little rough crack on the edge of it. It truly did bring a tear to my eye, because as off the wall as it sounds, in my eyes that stone was perfect, it did represent me. God placed that stone in my hand for a reason, to show me that He knows all of me, and He loves me through all of it, imperfections are not in His eyes.
To wrap up, I guess I just want to say, don't get lost in trying to fit a mold. It's an unattainable feat. We are all created by our Maker as a unique individual. He has a path for us, and for every one of us, it's going to involve a different road, or different means. Don't be scared to break the "mold of society", know that you are His mold. Have faith in THAT. I struggle with that sometimes, we all do, but He knows what he's doing, so why worry?
I think sometimes the best thing to do, as my teacher did for his art, is to step back and just have time to yourself. Learn to live without the constant knocking of society or media at your door. Lock yourself up, and have a talk with yourself, and your Maker. :)
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Also, I'm ready for the weekend. It's only Monday and I'm already worn out, haha. My mind hurts, I'm learning lots of new things, and sometimes it's a lot to grasp. I'm taking it all with stride though. :)
I'm ready for the weekend, I'm seeing Wade Bowen on Friday, and then going camping Sat-Mon. I do really wish one of my Nashville favorites, emily could have made it down for this weekend...darnit. hint, hint. ;) haha. i know, i know...
Anyway, I've been really into Dawson's Creek lately, so I think I'm gonna get back to that.
OKIE love.
-Lyssa :)
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