Finding back to my art (heart)
Well it has been many months since I added to my blog. so here I go...
The election is over and hopefully it is dawning on most that there is a lot of anger and frustration - about not being heard - which I believe has lead up to Trump's ascension in becoming our next president.
How many lost jobs and opportunities, foreclosed homes, crushing debts, lost retirements, lost loved ones (to disease and violence) have gone unnoticed or unaddressed by both the Democratic and Republican party, to ferment such angry, blind determination in the many forgotten American people, causing them to elect a narcissistic billionaire, who surely in will cause them more pain and sense of abandonment in the near futur.
I hope for our own sake we will rise to the occasion and build bridges to one another, to find our common ground and build a government designed to serve the people and realize the interests and aspirations of the many instead of the few.
These two sculptures I made a while back are still relevant. They are called "Detachment" and "Indifference". The first is based off of a Tibetan Tanka painting and depicts a fierce Dakini. The symbols are meant to represent the struggles of the self to free itself from it's various attachments: our ego, our limited intellect and sense of self, our body image, etc... It is meant as road map and contemplation to aid us in this arduous journey of self realization and inner peace.
The second is the polar opposite of the first, and represents the traps we so easily fall into: money, power, drugs, consumerism vanity, self absorption, indifference. It is a path to destruction, suffering and confusion.
So after a day of working through the disappointment, anger and sadness, I wish to apologize to those forgotten Americans for my ignorance and my distance. As a hard working father of three young children living in the bubble called San Francisco, California, there are many excuses I could conjure up and hide behind. But that will not change anything.
The truth is, I know little of those who felt compelled to vote for Trump, those who have lost jobs and opportunity, have been deprived of a living wage and honorable existence, a roof over their heads and a safe environment for themselves and their children.
America has now taken notice. Speak up! Speak truth to what it is to be the forgotten Americans. Do not let the media and the government brush your story aside once more, to fall back into the shadows. Be the sand in the cogs of the status quo! Hold your officials accountable! Make them keep their promises... get rid of the ones who are only looking out for themselves and not for you. My heart goes out to you all and I hope that you achieve peace and happiness for yourselves and your loved ones. I look forward to helping you where I can.
