giving up the story

Just as the map is not the territory,

the story of your life

is not your life. 

ink study, summer 2010

map making

You could say that an artist is like a map maker. Every artist presents his or her attitudes, opinions, and perception about the world within and at large - describing a particular territory. Conceptual, visionary, topical, or emotive, they're all autobiographical; how can anyone be removed from his or her own perspective?

Looking back over the years of images, like a photo album they tell a story. Like magenta shag carpet reminds me of my room at the age of 9, seeing a high-school drawing of my mom's car in the snow brings back a flood of travel memories. I've created my own meme of prayers, heartbreaks, discoveries, and victories within the objects I've made. 

The power of making images lies in the ability to constantly create The New. Like a new wardrobe, a new haircut, a new house...though better because it comes from within. Because I make them myself I have the satisfaction of being my own boss, critic, and curator.  I show myself that I am the creator of my world. Still, these objects are fragments of the totality of my meme; there's simply no way to dream, activate, or observe it all. They are only parts of what I've seen, where I've been.

 

a leap into the unknown, guided by self-knowledge

we love a good story

For most of the last 12 years (when not making art) I've made my living listening to people's stories, as a Homeopath. Stories animate our lives, filling in the cracks of boredom and adding texture to quiet space. They make us laugh, they make us cry. They help us make sense of things that we'd otherwise prefer to light on fire. The stories we tell are little i.d. flashcards that remind us where we came from and how we got to now.

A Homeopath is fascinated by the individuality of The Story, as if the patient is being interviewed for a broadway musical about him/herself. I love being a witness, a documentarian, and helping people grow beyond the limitations of their minds. As a Homeopath, I need to perceive exactly how uniquely each person is asking for help. A moment comes when the "crack in the cosmic egg" sends up a tiny poof of smoke. If I blink, I miss it:  the magic moment when life's potential to turn on a dime flashes in front of my eyes. That moment is what I live for - in my work, and in my art-making.

Have you ever been listened to so well that you learned something surprising about yourself? Felt safe enough to tell your secrets, only to realize your story was only part of the truth?

I've been told a true healer holds up the mirror, shows you the beauty within, brings you closer to yourself....and shines light on the shadows of your story. Then you get to choose what to do with the information. As it turns out, nobody can rewrite the story except you. It's not that the embers of the fire have no value, but freshly chopped wood, arranged just so, are what puts the heat out. Sometimes you outgrow your story and have to send it up in flames.

I invite you to sneak outside your comfort zone, stack fresh logs on the fire, and pray with your heart open. You just might crack yourself wide open.

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My next Art retreat, Stoking the Fire, will incorporate visualization, art-making, writing, and music. The date is October 30th from 9:30- 3:00 and I expect this to fill up quickly so please email to enroll. 

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Comments

[336mantra]

Daniel,
Thank you~ So happy to know that you can look at that image over and over and still find nourishment in it! It is one of my all-time favorites too. xo to you both

[Daniel Seirawan]

Hi Hannah! As I look at the painting you gave us. I am moved by the feminine form -- always in an inspiration!! I have enjoyed the torn canvases stitched back together ... reminiscent of a woman putting her life together and the color in her life. Yet parts are still abstract yet ungrounded. Parts yet to be painted.

Lotsa love
Daniel and Danica
xoxox
huggies and wet ones ;-)