Sending It Out to the Universe

3-3-18 Sending It Out to the Universe

Things unfold and unfold and unfold.  We make statements, we make artwork.  Day after day it continues.  At times we search for the beginning.  Where did it start?  How far back do I go?

Sometimes one gets a hold on the process if it has a clear beginning and ending. We call it a series.  A series of 10, 20, or 50, but if it keeps going then maybe it’s a Life’s work.

So I am trying to go back to the starting point, to gather the supporting elements of several years of writing and art making.  There is so much already and I keep adding to it. The review takes time and gets in the way of producing the new. And as I go ahead, adding more and new, then the old gets lost, forgotten. I wonder if it has relevance. And there is the repetition of themes – is it said better one way or the other?

I am lost in the accumulation. I can’t choose because I can’t take it all in.  I can’t get a handle on what is important. It can be seen in different ways.  Is the personal important - the everyday elements, or should one stick with the more general and philosophical? Should one include it all or edit to the heart of the insight?

As I read over, it seems interesting and familiar, but also forgotten and coming from some other person.  I don’t hold these thoughts in my own files. They could be written by someone, me or not me, someone who cares about what I care about.  But the inner padding, the thoughts, that accompanied the original writing have disappeared.

I have no way to judge the significance of the work.  Does it, will it, mean anything to anyone else? Should I test the waters and see if anyone responds? Do I throw it out to the universe with some hope that it finds a landing as opposed to fading into the endless void?

Does it matter? What if it does disappear into the darkness? It was important as I was doing it, thinking it, writing it, drawing it and that can’t be undone.

For some reason, it seems terribly important to have it recognized and of course in a positive way. How does one question this demand? Why should anything be public? What is being offered in exchange for what? If it is free – what is the gift - does it have value?

 (Image: Sending It Out to the Universe)