O flower, awaken in me the gifts of being human
2/18: art challenges your habitual modes of perception
I’ve been dreaming of an exhibit of watercolors based on 39 line drawings I made a decade ago that were used in a collaborative project called Gratitude Blooming. Each watercolor contains a word that can be spoken out loud to help break the spell of separation we experience from our own power, from one another, and from nature in our modern-day lives.
The title of this post, O flower, awaken in me the gifts of being human, is inspired by words the poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote for his own epitaph as he was nearing the end of his life. His words feel like a stark and powerful call to awaken to the preciousness and beauty of being alive, despite the contradictions and suffering we encounter in life.
rose, o pure contradiction, desire
to be no one’s sleep beneath so many lids
- from Rainer Maria Rilke’s epitaph
at his grave site in Raron, Switzerland
(translated from German)
I hope an exhibit like this could challenge our habitual modes of perception by asking viewers to pause and remember the human virtues that live within each of us—turning our attention back to the beauty and power of our humanity, even in the face of the contradictions we witness in our lives and in the world that can make us believe otherwise.
My hope is that in this small way, by noticing a flower or saying a few words to it, we can move towards a path of healing of our collective wounds by re-awakening these gifts of being human.
Here are some sample words and images to begin a practice of speaking with the plants in these watercolor sketches, which I hope will inspire you to try the practice with other plants you encounter in your own life.
Stay tuned as I find my voice on this new platform and please consider subscribing or following me here to join this 18 post series on what art is and why it matters.
Next in the series: art asks you to engage, not to consume
Previous post in the series: art asks you to reconsider your relationship to the world