Tag: artists

The Angst of Beauty

Jennifred Jones

Most beauty was created because of ugliness.

Many of the artists whose work we love…creating masterpieces which bring us joy and happiness and amazement…created during a time of doubt, unhappiness, great depression, personal trial and disappointment…even sickness. It was the beauty they saw in their mind and began to create that caused them to survive their turmoils.

Could beauty be the solution to many of our problems? Are we caught in the fog of ugliness and despair – unable to see the beauty all around us?

The soft baby bunny, the early morning singing of birds, the silver pussy willows announcing spring, the laugh of a small child, the hug of a friend, the clear blue sky, the color of a rock in the rain, a warm cup of tea and a candle in the evening.

What do you see? Through the angst of life, can you still see beauty? Can you envision it? Can you somehow cause yourself to promote more beauty? Can you be the glistening raindrop on a barren dry soil? Can you be the smile while hiding your own tears to a weary soul? Can you see and envision hope for a better day, a better tomorrow when all you see and hear is ugliness and ruin?

What has broken your heart so you can no longer see a good future? Can you take the broken pieces and build something new, something stronger, something so beautiful that all the brokenness and ruin no longer is seen? All that remains is the work of beauty you created. That is the beauty others will see. And it will inspire them to see beauty through their own brokenness.

Hold the Line!

Jennifred Jones

Several years ago a small midwestern town had a choice.

The story goes…’outsiders’ came to town with the intent to deface and destroy the town, the buildings, the landscape, the community, and drive the good people out.

They began by spraying ugly graffiti messages on one building wall. Then they defaced another wall. The town people had to make a decision. Were they going to allow this to continue until the whole town was sprayed and then overtaken by non-caring individuals whose intent was the destruction of the community? (We’re not talking about interesting landscape designs or abstract paintings; we’re talking about the other kind of graffiti….applied from a heart of anger and malice.)

The town decided not to say anything to anybody, but just paint over the ugly graffiti.

The following night the graffiti artists returned and marked up the walls.

Next day town-folk got their paint rollers out and painted over the graffiti.

Again the graffiti came back. The town-folk rolled up the walls again!

It was a bit of paint warfare, but eventually the angry graffiti artists packed up and left town.

This is a prime example of overcoming bad with good….they didn’t even have to say a word! They used their paint and covered it up over and over until it no longer was there.

Let’s think what we can do in our community, neighborhood, state, country to silently snuff out the destruction and replace it with something better.

“It’s not my responsibility… that’s why I pay taxes, someone else has to do it!”

That’s exactly why we need to do it! We pay taxes and it’s us taxpayers property! It’s our ‘ranch’! Why let our property look trashy? Cut down the thistles, pick up the trash and the sticks, organize a dumpster drive and get rid of old tires and appliances. There’s work to be done! Let’s clean up our areas, have a bit of pride and satisfaction of a good deed done together 🙂

I have my trashbag in hand! Let’s go!