Fleeting, but deep

Do you sometimes feel like you have so many ideas in your head, but your hands (and/or feet) can't keep up?

In my case, there are images that I see in my mind, but currently my hand isn't fast enough to draw them yet.

It may be frustrating sometimes, but the important thing (that I also remind myself) is to keep 'doing': keep drawing, keep writing, keep on doing the work. Do not judge it. Let those ideas out - whether they look 'good' or 'bad' to you at the moment.

Or at least that's what I gleaned from Seth Godin's podcast Akimbo in an episode titled, 'No such thing (as writer's block)' (March 6, 2018).

Putting that into practice, here's a drawing that I made of one of those 'images'. This is a quick sketch of Marianne:

It's a really up-close view! To me, this image is reminiscent of having a conversation with someone who is so dear to my heart; even though their actions or facial expressions may only last a moment, or countless other memories have piled up over it with the passage of time, that singular image of them still remains. "Not everything is fleeting. Some feelings are deep." - Héloïse in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. ;)

Pause and ponder

Lamps in the Evening (2020) 8.5x5.5 inches. Colored pencils.

Today, there's something that made me pause and ponder, and I thought I'd like to share these thoughts with you.

First, have you ever taken on something such as:

• Deciding to eat more veggies, exercise and get enough sleep?

• Setting aside a day to spend time with your loved ones?

• Showing up to do the work: e.g. to write that poem, record that podcast, draw on that blank sheet of paper every time?

• Donating your time or money to help rescue animals? Etc.

Personally, there are things that I've undertaken because I want to improve myself.

Improve myself for what?

Why do we bother doing these things?

It wasn't until yesterday when I felt that I had an epiphany concerning this question.

I was listening to The Tim Ferriss Show where Tim was interviewing Maria Popova, the brilliant lady behind The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings). One of the questions was about how she determines which topics to write about in her blog.

Her answer is that although she covers a wide array of material - poetry, art, music, philosophy, etc. - the "common denominator" for her is whether these "illuminate some aspect – big or small – of that grand question […]: how to live life well.

How to live a good meaningful, fulfilling life?"

And I thought, "That's it!"

What does living life well mean for you?

Before Portrait: a baby gay Marianne?

One of the things that I wonder about in Portrait of a Lady on Fire is whether Marianne has any prior experience of being attracted to girls/women. It's not mentioned in the film where Marianne comes from (Paris?) as far as I know, but given her profession as an artist, I imagine that she has more flexibility in meeting different kinds of people across the social hierarchy than Heloise. Today's post is a mini comic about Marianne, and an exploration of her younger days. In this scenario, she's about eleven or twelve years old. The title was inspired by the first line of Endymion, a poem by John Keats: 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever.' (In case you're unfamiliar with the story, Endymion is a shepherd and a demigod (yep, one of Zeus' many offspring) from Ancient Greek mythology, who is known for his legendary beauty. The Titan Goddess of the Moon, Selene, falls in love with him, and asks Zeus to grant him eternal youth. Zeus does this by making Endymion fall asleep. FOREVER!)

With that out of the way, I present to you A Thing of Beauty. Enjoy!

And there we have it! Hope this mini-comic brightened your day, and thank you so much for reading! Talk to you again soon! Much love, Rose P.S. Do you think that Marianne drew more French girls? :D P.P.S. Marianne is right-handed (not left), and I drew it wrong T-T