I wrote to Robert Genn, an author/artist I know, respect and admire, requesting his permission to print the letter you will see below my request as follows..
Dear Robert,
I would like permission to copy/print some of the letter today about Sedona, Arizona and what Art is (your perspective) along with a link in case others want to subscribe to your letters ... I would include it on my http://ymmartin.blogspot.com/ as a standalone blog entry titled Robert Genn Writes....
You may remember me, Yolanda Martin, (I wrote and was selected by you in past years as a Finalist by you for inclusion of my article in your new book. My article exists for reference at http://ymmartin.com/ARTicles.html#Article5 “Define Art ....In Search of The Meaning of Art”. Obviously with all the valuable input you received from other artists and authors, and continued thinking on the subject of art and its meaning, you are more of an recognized authority on the subject which interests us both.
I so much enjoy your letters.
For me, art is not for making a living, bur for making living worth while.
Quietly I think of you today.
Silence is golden we think, we say.
Perhaps alone with our thoughts,
Maybe feeling with our hearts,
All the memories of yesterday.
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Be all you can be.
Be better than I am.
The Best is yet to be.
*************
For some,
Art is for making a living...
For others,
Art is for making living worth while.
For everyone,
Art is what brings us together.
Yolanda Martin
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Dear Yolanda,
I'm walking a labyrinth in Sedona, Arizona. I'm repeating the words, "My higher self is guiding me." As well as thinking of something else, I'm wondering if there's "something else."
Sedona is one of those spiritual hot spots where visitors come for all sorts of body work, yoga, self-improvement, or guru-inspired transformation. In the USA, this kind of stuff is a $10 billion-a-year industry. Sedona is also the place where three fine folks allowed themselves to be cooked to death in a spiritual sauna at the end of a labyrinth. This was at the urging of the now bankrupt and criminally implicated guru James Arthur Ray. If only those folks had been aware of the life-centering force and personal power one gets from the harmless little activity known as painting.
Yep, I'm talking about painting as a spiritual event. The act has something to do with making a physical tribute--a sort of a visual prayer--honouring the gifts that surround us and the life we've been given.
Before you hit that delete key or drop a note to say I've gone wonky again, here are a few observations for those who might be buying my oysters:
Art establishes and makes tangible a time, a place, a thought, an idea.
Art, properly made, enhances and enriches the lives of others.
Art gives an opportunity to endow new life and new meaning into the ordinary.
Art gives an opportunity to design your own world, and, as in your children, create a significant immortality.
Art is hard-earned work that is its own reward and has a degree of permanence.
Art, because it's so easy to do, and yet so difficult to do well, encourages humility in the human soul.
Art is an apprenticeship that can be stretched into a lifelong education.
Art thrives on democratic ideals, freedom of expression and rugged individualism.
Art permits you to step out of the labyrinth and into a quiet corner of your own private joy.
Best regards,
Robert Genn
PS: "You don't need to follow someone else's path." (Nathan Thornburgh)
Esoterica: A spiritual awakening is often found and developed in a wilderness. It can be a poem or a parable of a deep forest, a mountain meadow or a cactus-studded desert. The outdoor spirit of plein air refreshes and further enables the indoor studio chapel. Each new creative beginning is a confirmation of the simple truth of taking care. And while it may all appear to be self-indulgent and isolating, every thought, every stroke, every caress of the brush adds a small refreshment of meaning and purpose to our universe. "Work is love made visible." (Kahlil Gibran)
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http://clicks.robertgenn.com/spiritual-event.php (to view this broadcast letter online)
You can also follow Robert's valuable insights and see further feedback on Facebook and Twitter.
(permission to reprint in this blog granted by Robert Genn Mar 11, 2011..."Hi Yolanda,
Thanks for writing and yes please use the material as you see fit, giving credit where due.
All the best and thanks for your friendship. Robert")
(c) Copyright 2011 Robert Genn. If you wish to copy this material to other publications or mail lists, please ask for permission by writing rgenn@saraphina.com. Thanks for your friendship.
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