sunrise, Monotype of the Day #405

Day 40 of Year 2

As the summer is coming to an end, I feel the rise of something new. It is brewing deep inside. The life of the studio is cyclic like the seasons: growth, harvest, laying fallow, new beginnings, over and over again. But where the seasons are on a regular schedule, the timeline in the studio is more mysterious. You never know what each day will bring. This is why it's so important to show up and be present to the energy each day. If you are too distracted, you might miss a season of growth. It's a bit like surfing. When that energy comes in you have to catch the wave and ride it as far as you can. Other times, you're still in the studio working even though it might feel more challenging so when the next wave comes, you are in position to catch it. It can feel difficult during a fallow period, especially if you are focused on product over process. But if you remember everything is a cycle, the seasons, the sunrise and sunset, you will know all that is required is patience until the next positive wave comes around. Have faith and carry on.

Sunrise
By Mary Oliver

You can
die for it–
an idea,
or the world. People

have done so,
brilliantly,
letting
their small bodies be bound

to the stake,
creating
an unforgettable
fury of light. But

this morning,
climbing the familiar hills
in the familiar
fabric of dawn, I thought

of China,
and India
and Europe, and I thought
how the sun

blazes
for everyone just
so joyfully
as it rises

under the lashes
of my own eyes, and I thought
I am so many!
What is my name?

What is the name
of the deep breath I would take
over and over
for all of us? Call it

whatever you want, it is
happiness, it is another one
of the ways to enter
fire