The Value of Silliness. :P

Hello, my friends.  I have just a short entry for you today, and the words are not my own.  My friend, Emily Schmidt of northeast Oklahoma, posted these words on her Facebook page on January 30, and graciously agreed to let me share them with you here.

“Thinking a lot lately about the importance of silliness.  Never before in my life have I recognized how important it is more than right now. 

"I've been asked before when I'm going to quit; quit acting like Scout Finch, quit making faces, quit dancing in my underwear, quit getting dirty, quit being the class clown and just grow up.  How ignorant.  Growing up is not the inverse of acting silly, or having a childlike wonder at the world.  If more people held on to that as they "grew up" the world would be better place.  It's a reverence for mortality, for the fragility of life... and at the same time an irreverence.  It's a boldness in the face of death, in spite of it.

"Life is full of sad terrible stuff.  It's full of death and sin and ugly horrible things.  If you can laugh in the face of this, not only is that brave, but it makes it beautiful.  Why not rejoice when there is time to rejoice?  Laugh whenever you get a chance.  Filch some joy where you can get it.  Sometimes being goofy is the only way to get through all of the ugly stuff.  Laugh so hard you shoot rootbeer float out your nose, dance instead of walk... anywhere, make up your own words, make a fort in the sheets, be yourself.  Please, be silly.”

If Emily wasn’t so darn awesome, I’d be insanely jealous of how brilliantly she expressed herself.  As it is, she is awesome, and all I can say is “You go, girl!”  Despite Emily’s youth, and my age, I learn from her on a regular basis. 

What is a DreamSmith?

As promised, my answer to the mysteries of being a DreamSmith..

What is a DreamSmith, Anyway?  The answer is simpler that you might suspect.  A DreamSmith is a dreamer who is not content to let his dreams rest quietly in his head.  His dreams are too spirited, his visions too clear to be contained.  A DreamSmith sets out to express these dreams through whatever means possible:  through the written word, photography, paint, sculpture, carpentry, digital media, paint and canvas and construction paper – in short, through art in any of its myriad forms.  Furthermore, a DreamSmith seeks to share his gift, to teach others to set their dreams free as well.  Above all, a DreamSmith recognizes that we all are works of art, masterworks of the Creator himself.

Troy in a Nutshell:  My qualifications are questionable.  I was famous in elementary school as the artist who drew dinosaurs and starships, in high school as the writer, in college as the dreamer.  I’ve been a janitor, a millwright, a photo lab manager.  I called myself a real estate appraiser for sixteen years, and I’ve been a husband and father longer than that.  I’ve even been an office manager for a funeral home.  (Yes, I saw dead people.  They are very polite.)  So how do these things qualify me to call myself an artist, a photographer, a writer?  They don’t.  The jobs I’ve done are just that – they are what I’ve done.  Being creative is part of what I am.  Accepting this, proclaiming it, acting on it, is no more optional than breathing.  To do otherwise would be to question my Creator, to ask if He knew what He was doing when He made me as He did.  I may be audacious, but I’m not stupid.

I am a native of the American southwest, born and raised in Albuquerque. Despite my best efforts, New Mexico flows in my blood.  Perhaps it’s the size and color of the New Mexico sky, or the scent of piñon smoke in the crisp winter air.  It might be the warmth of the light just before sunset, the clear notes of a Pimentel guitar, or even the way the old adobe homes enfold you and protect you like a child.  In any case, you cannot live there without being forever transformed by the atmosphere.  It alters your perception of the world around you, changes the way you see and taste and touch and hear and smell.  My art reflects that, I think.

I am unashamedly Christian.  In many ways, my art is an expression of my prayers.  It reflects my conviction that the Lord is the original artist, and that exploring the creativity God placed inside me is a way of growing closer to Him.  My art, both written and visual, is a reflection of my desire to explore what is right and good and beautiful in the world.  It’s my way of seeking God first, by observing the ways he is reflected in his creation.  If you find my work to be simple or sentimental, you are probably right.  I am simple and sentimental.  I’ve found that it is much easier to just go with it.

It is my hope that you may find something beautiful or pleasant or uplifting in my work.  More than that, I hope it inspires you, that it makes you say “I could do that”.  You’re right.  You can.  Go boldly into the world and find your gifts.  I can guarantee that they are there to be discovered.

An Invitation to Join in An Adventure

About this blog...

“An exploration of Creativity, the Creator, and Spiritual Growth.”  Okay, so I know, the subtitle of this blog is audacious, or pretentious.  Perhaps even sacrilegious, as it suggests that I might have some insight into the unknowable mind of our Creator.  If this bothers you, or makes you uncomfortable, I would recommend that you stop reading now and navigate away from this page.  If, however, you are intrigued…  then I invite you to walk with me for a little while. 

My purpose here is simple:  I want to unlock my own potential, to stop fighting the urge to become what my Creator made me to be.  The thing is, I believe that this is a journey that will be a lot more fun if I have traveling companions.  That is where you come in.  While I know that I am rather unique* (*translated by many as “downright weird”), I don’t think my situation is that unusual at all.  Let me tell you a little about myself, and see if you don’t recognize some of your own story.  (FYI – this blog will be filled with personal anecdotes, and if that makes you uncomfortable, I’d strongly suggest that you close your browser and clear its history – NOW.)

I am…  a writer who isn’t writing.  A storyteller who smothers his characters.  An artist who refuses to pick up his brush, a photographer who doesn’t take pictures anymore.  If I had any musical talent whatsoever, I would undoubtedly be a musician who isn’t making music.  I am a lifelong Christian with a fractured and uncertain faith.  I am a creative person who has lived a relatively mundane life, largely due to a shameful lack of courage.  I am the undisputed master of 80% complete.  I am a man who has tried with everything I am to be responsible, mature and steady, and in all of these things, I have failed. 

Now, if you are typical, I suspect you are questioning my credentials, and rightfully so.  The world is very clear in its directives:  We are only supposed to follow successful people.  By emulating successful people, we are supposed to find our way to the Good Life, to success, to wealth.  For some people, I suppose this may be true.  I, however, am not one of those people.  If you have been drawn to this page, I suspect you are not one of them, either.

I would like to advance a theory for your consideration.  It is my failures that qualify me to lead you on this journey.  I have tried life by the world’s rules, and it doesn’t work.  I am a creative person, and I can tell you with great confidence that the rules of our modern world work in direct opposition to creativity.  I know, because I’ve tried to reconcile the two for nearly thirty years.  For me, at least, they are incompatible operating systems.  Again, if you were drawn to this page, and you are still with me, I suspect you, dear reader, are in a similar place.  

This blog is not about Twelve Steps to Success, or The Clear Path.  This journey will be one of rabbit trails and unexpected side trips, backtracking from dead ends, pushing through heavy underbrush to discover glorious and unexpected vistas.  It is not intended to be safe.  In my life, I have discovered that safety is a lie and a distraction, and I have been betrayed by the so-called “safe things”: once too often. 

I will warn you ahead of time – If you are looking to these pages for advice and guidance, I will let you down.  However unintentionally, I will occasionally lead you astray.  I will share things that are a blessing for some, and poison for others.  For this, I apologize.  It is not my intention to cause harm.  I would ask that if you come to a point where you think this journey is wrong for you, step away.   You won’t hurt my feelings, and if you do, that’s my problem, not yours.

So what do I believe?  Above all, I believe that each and every one of us is individually created for a purpose.  I believe that we are carefully, lovingly handcrafted by the Ultimate Artist, the same one that spoke the universe into existence.  This is a God with a sense of grandeur, as illustrated by the Pillars of Creation nebulae, and an absurd sense of humor, because otherwise there never would have been a dodo bird, much less a duck-billed platypus.

Does this mean I believe in predestination?  Not really.  I believe that free will is fully existent, that free will is in fact an inextricable element that helps form the core of the wonderful paradox that is humanity.  When I say that I believe that we are created for a purpose, I do not mean that there is one and only one thing we can do that will fulfill what we are designed for.  Quite the opposite.  I believe that, if we choose to fully engage in life, the grandest adventure is to see how many purposes we can fulfill, how fully we can utilize the unique abilities that are hard-wired into each of us.  Furthermore, I believe that as we seek to understand and empower ourselves and those around us, we can discover entirely new ways to combine our gifts in ways that may even surprise and delight our Creator.

Let me try to illustrate this concept.  Let’s just say, for the sake of discussion, that I am a lowly wedge of iron, eight or nine inches long.  Should I choose to just sit there, it would be very easy to conclude “I am a doorstop.”  I might even be a very effective doorstop, and depending on how I was wired, I might find a life of contentment in being a doorstop, and that would be good.  But too often, life does not allow us to just fall into what is natural.  Where I, the wedge of iron, to try to fill the role of a knife, I would likely feel awkward and ineffective.  I would be too heavy, shaped wrong, too thick, too blunt.  I might, however, find contentment as a paperweight.

Now, let’s suppose that I had a wild urge to split wood.  I might find that I was just the right weight and heft to be used as a splitting maul.  Or, if I were to have the audacity to team up with a shaft of hickory, I would be an axe!  I could cut firewood, clear forests, build a house!  I could be a weapon of war, were I called to do so.  I could partner with a long iron bar, and lo, I am the fulcrum for the lever that moves mountains!  I could become the pivot point that worlds spin on…

I know, totally silly, but still…  not bad for a doorstop.  My point is this:  Too often, we tend to look at ourselves and see only the most mundane potential, if we see potential at all.  In this world we live in, we are far too likely to view ourselves in much the same way as our lowly iron wedge as it tried to fill the role of the knife – barely functioning, awkward and ineffective because we are trying to be something we are not made to be.  In such a place, it is all too easy to say to ourselves “I am poorly made.”  If only we could teach ourselves to ask “What am I made for?”

Now, here’s the real question.  If a lowly wedge of iron has such potential, how much more potential do we possess, with our infinite complexity and unique experience?  This is the question I want to explore with you.  I believe that this could be incredibly exciting, and that the more of us there are on the journey, the more fun it will be.  I believe that there are hundreds, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of us who have been living unfulfilled lives, and that it’s time to claim our birthright.  I believe that the ability to do so is hardwired into each of us.  What do you say?  Are you up for this?  Do you want to try it with me?  Come on, go for it.  You know you want to.

In closing, I want to lay some ground rules.  First and foremost, the purpose of this blog is to be a POSITIVE influence on your lives, and on mine.  While I encourage and hope for discussion, and welcome differing points of view, I want to be clear.  This blog is not a democracy.  Differences of opinion are welcomed, hatred and negativity are not.  I will be merciless in deleting comments and postings that are derogatory, demeaning, cruel and hurtful.  I believe bigotry is ugly no matter who it is coming from, or where it is directed.  I will not allow anyone to be hateful to anyone else in this forum, nor will I allow personal expression that belittles others.  You are entitled to such opinions, of course.  You just aren’t entitled to express them here.

For the most part, the words and images I use here are my own.  When I share someone else’s thoughts, I will, wherever possible, credit the original author and/or source.  If you find that I have said something of worth that you feel compelled to share, you may do so with two provisions:  1)  Ask my permission, and 2) credit me as the source of my words.

Finally, I reserve the right to be wrong, to make grievous errors in judgment, to express myself in ways that are awkward and childish.  I also reserve the right to apologize if I wound you, to attempt to make amends, and to part company if I cannot.

I welcome your thoughts.

Troy

PS:  Yes, I believe in the Christian God, but I don’t think this precludes those of you with different beliefs from this journey. 

Coming next:  DreamSmith?  What the heck is a DreamSmith?