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WHAT IT SAYS
The Grand Design: An Artist's Prayer
a song by Kay Pere
My heart is a parchment, my hand holds a quill.
I dip this pen, quivering, afraid the ink might spill.
I long to draw you to me, Great Mystery within.
Move my hands, move my heart, guide my pen.
Though I try to sketch the future, only your hand turns the page.
You erase the stains and smudges of my past mistakes.
So I ask, please, grant the wisdom to know where to draw the line
And provide a clearer vision of your Grand Design.
I could never pen your portrait for I've yet to see your face,
But I know you from your likeness in the beauty of this place.
The pattern of your stillness rests upon my open book.
A still life of your spirit shines wherever I might look.
Though I try to sketch the future, only your hand turns the page.
You erase the stains and smudges of my past mistakes.
So I ask, please, grant the wisdom to know where to draw the line
And provide a clearer vision of your Grand Design.
Great Artist, you arranged the stars and fashioned each small flower.
My heart and hands are yours to move in the quiet of this hour.
So I ask, please, grant the wisdom to know where to draw the line
And provide a clearer vision of your Grand Design.
(c) Kay Pere ~ Effusive Muse Publishing
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Sometimes, making a beginning is the hardest part, until you remember that you don't create alone.
I've always felt a bit intimidated by a blank piece of paper, an unplanted garden bed, an unshaped lump of clay, a song waiting to be recorded. No matter how many times I've done something before, successfully or not, beginning anew is always accompanied by a particular kind of internal resistance.
The outcomes of my efforts, past and future, draw themselves vividly before me in that moment when I sit down to begin. Sometimes this feels so daunting that find it hard not to turn away.
I wonder to myself: Will it work out as well as it did last time? Will the result be what I imagine? Or will I repeat my past mistakes? Will my weaknesses of skill, knowledge, character or body keep me from completing what I've set out to do? Will my work be blocked by something I can't foresee?
I lose hope.
Until I remember how many times that errors--both on the page and in my life--have lead to outcomes much better than I ever could have envisioned.
In life, my most painful and costly mistakes have always ushered in periods of the greatest personal growth. Mishaps and mistakes in judgment have taught compassion, forgiveness, resilience, strength, self-acceptance, and so much more.
In my creative work, I can't count the number of times a failure of materials, equipment, skill, or advice has brought me to a place where the things I'd originally set out to do were no longer possible. I'm learning to be more open to accepting change and seeing what IS possible. When I can to do this, the results I didn't expect are always more interesting and original than those I could have planned.
I know I haven't provided specific examples. In the coming days I hope it to write in more detail on my other blogs, sharing anecdotes from my pottery work, songwriting, and teaching. As soon as these interrelated essays are ready, I'll share links to them here.
I hope you'll print out a mini-poster or two, and place it where it can inspire you.
The words are meant as a reminder that there is another Artist who creates along side you.
Take chances, trusting that--one way or another--the outcome of your efforts will be something beautiful.
As we create, so we are created.
HOW THIS WAS MADE
The hand-drawn frame of this MINI-POSTER was doodled on the back of an old 8x10 glossy publicity photo I had taken and duplicated by the hundreds for a press kit about 8 years ago. I have a huge stack of these photos remaining, an error in planning I've been hiding in the top of my studio closet, but that's a story for another time. Now they're becoming the raw material for something much more satisfying, serving as sturdy drawing paper for playing with sharpie Markers.
I doodled the frame 2 days ago with no particular purpose in mind. Decided yesterday morning it needed text in the center. Scanned it. Modified it. Selected my song "The Grand Design: An Artist's Prayer" for the text. Discovered that this song--which I've been working on for the past 3 years--was still missing 2 lines. At that moment the inspiration fairy finally chose to visit. And here it is.
When there's a recording and/or video of "The Grand Design: An Artist's Prayer", you'll find links to these here, as well as on my website.
(c) Kay Pere ~ Effusive Muse Publishing
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