The Art of a Creator

If you look at everything known to exist and you remove what man has made so you are only left with what has existed before or without man, you will see that not one single thing is wasted. There literally is no junk. Every single thing you see or know about (because you can't see an atom or gravity) has a function and purpose that it not only performs but performs perfectly. Further more, each thing leads to another thing that it must "work with" to make up a larger unit. For example - all our cells must work harmoniously in tandem with other cells to make up the body we have. The earth must work in tandem with other planets and the sun to form our solar system and provide a home for all creatures. In short, EVERY living and non-living thing that was created not by man - instinctively and naturally forms a community. Each thing must do a job and do it well in order for it to continue to thrive and exist both on its own and with others (the collective) community.

What we openly acknowledge -because we speak about it all the time without really finishing the sentence - is that the planet, our bodies and our culture are NOT in harmony. We speak of cancer, diseases, sickness, ADHD, Autism, etc when we describe the human body now. We speak of global warming, depletion of resources, increased natural disasters and a planet on the brink of ruin when we speak of our home. We speak of crime, terrorism, hatred, pain, suffering and discrimination when we describe our cultures and society. Everything related to mankind is in ruins. Why? Because... we have only focused on man and what we think is his greatness. We only give credence to what man has made and we ignore everything else. Religion has made it so bad for so many folks that as a species, we are literally repulsed by the thought of a God. It's a horrible lie because when you look at the community of all that is NOT man made - all those planets circling in a beautiful symphony, all creatures forming a delicately balanced food chain, all our cells working as a complex orchestration in every second of cell regeneration and even the great power contained in a single atom - you don't see the God of religion! You don't see judgment. You don't see retribution. You see a designer, a creator - an ARTIST - who has literally crafted a breathtaking symphony of abundance purely for your enjoyment! All things spinning in a delicate yet powerful ballet creating sound (most of which we don't even hear!) as it dances to provide both infinite expression and experience. It is in short the greatest masterpiece that instigates a state of perpetual awe for the observer. Sadly, you can not feel that awe - you can't be taken to great heights - if you refuse to acknowledge and observe.

I have people tell me all the time that they wish they could live in one of my paintings or that they wish they could see through my eyes. There's nothing special about my eyes. You have the exact same eyes with the exact same abilities. The only difference between us is choice. I choose to see the bigger picture and not focus on just what is man made. I choose to see what is really there and not close my eyes for fear of what I might see. And each time I look, the picture gets bigger and more awesome. And with that comes a responsibility. And even the possibility of being ridiculed. But I am ethically bound to say out loud that your current view is just a sliver of what is real. And so I put down on paper in both picture and now word - the world you actually live in. If you will only stop squeezing your eyes shut and stop being repulsed by the possibility of a God/Creator - your view will change into something you only dreamed it could be. So shut your TV off, given up mans mental diet of negativity and denial. Come see and be the harmonious part of this masterpiece that you were created to be. It's imperative because if more people see the big picture, will see the real Creator and understand their job within the cosmos - these sick bodies and sick planet will heal. 

The Art of Bananas (or being bananas?)

My name is Denyse and I have ADHD. Which is probably pretty evident if you’ve even met me for 30 seconds. If not, just read any post and you’ll get it in under 3 sentences. ;) And yes. I’m weird. I talk weird. I act weird. I look weird. I believe weird things. AND I do reaaaaallly weird things. Sometimes inappropriate and sometimes, “what the..??’  I know. I’ve been told it all and for a long time I believed that was a bad thing to be. That’s what I was being told anyway. But here’s the thing; as it turns out weird is a really spectacular thing to be. It’s joyful and funny and dynamic.  

Yeah, I walk into rooms about every 30 minutes forgetting why I’m there. Then I have to walk back into the last room to reconstruct what I was originally thinking that GOT me in that room. It happens so much that sometimes I want to stick myself in the eye with a fork. The other day, I kept losing pairs of glasses I was using. I couldn’t figure out where I was forgetting them! Until I touched my head and found three pairs up there. I had that, “ugh” moment and then just laughed my ass off. That’s the part where funny comes in. Because really you could just stay frustrated n miserable or you could laugh at yourself because it’s utterly ludicrious. I like laughing way more.

And yes, some of the things I do are very strange. In my house, bananas are phones. Unfortunately because my DNA is at play in my children, you will likely have to answer a banana just about anywhere. Last year, it was in the car. We were driving a friend home from school. My eldest had a banana and said it was for me and then stuck it in my ear because it’ll illegal to talk on the phone and drive at the same time. *sigh* I can’t let stuff like that go by. That’s a smackdown. I'm a single Mom. If they win on even ONE smackdown…you are screwed! So I took the glob of banana out of my ear and mashed it all over her head and chest. :D To my chagrin, I’d given everyone bananas for snack (there were a total of 7 weapons!) and thus the Great Banana War broke out inside the car. We arrived at the friends house covered in mashed banana. Our friend just stood there with wide eyes of disbelief and confusion. So yeah, ok, a good word here might be “unorthodox.” But you know what? I can see the joy on my kids’ faces when they retell the story. There are SOOO many stories that are off the charts that they belly laugh when they remember. I don’t see a downside to that.  
   

So ok, my brain wasn’t designed to do the simple, basic things other brains accomplish without so much as a thought. No. My brain was designed uniquely by ADHD to serve a purpose. And here is where the joyful part comes in; I wouldn’t be able to paint if I didn’t have ADHD. I can’t focus a damn on inconsequential details but I can hyper focus over a piece of paper and get so lost that I forget to eat. My brain is lacking an emotional filter too. Sounds like a bad thing but actually, it allows me to love other people all the way to my toes just like a little kid. Because I act on a lot of my emotional impulses, the people I care about know without a doubt that they are truly loved.

And if you look at any painting you will see the world through the lens of ADHD. That really IS the world through my eyes. I’ve seen your world on TV. It’s way different from mine. Things are bright and busy, detailed yet disgustingly simple. Shapes are organic because life is constantly moving with a rhythm. But the important part is what you see in total; happy. It’s a lovely place to be. It’s gratifying when you’ve spent your life on a pilgrimage to anywhere "better" and wind up at HAPPY. It's like climbing Mount Everest or running the Boston Marathon.

The funny part about happy is that when you get there, you look around to find out if others made it with you and who they are. What’s sad is that there aren’t as many as you’d hoped. And it’s a tough thing to see that because if you’ve EVER been unhappy or in horrible pain – you never want anyone else to feel that. Ever. And yet you know there isn’t anything you can do because no one gets you there but you. So you stand there to cheer the others on toward the finish line loudly. And hope they won’t give up. Yeah..being weird is a good thing. Now I think I’ll go see if I can find a banana. I have a teenager to mess with :D