I did a drawing several months ago while I was "creatively blocked." The inspiration for the drawing came from the Fort Worth Japanese Gardens. I came across a great little vignette of these beautifully aged stone steps and statues of the Three Monkeys. It's one of those projects that started as a time filler; one where I could work on my techniques in creating interesting texture. But it transcended into a piece with far deeper meaning to me.

 

To begin, the story of the Three Monkeys involves the phrase, "See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil." I looked it up, and the origin is questionable, but most likely an Asian fable. The overall message is this: if you see/hear/speak no evil you will remain pure of heart. So, sort of a risk nothing/suffer nothing philosophy (a gross oversimplification, but bear with me for a bit).

 

I thought of an interesting parallel from the Broadway smash musical, "Hamilton." Aaron Burr frequently says (in the musical), "Talk less, smile more." Again, kind of a risk nothing/suffer nothing philosophy. And, well, that sort of thinking never really paid off for good ole Aaron Burr. By the way--as an unpaid statement, if you haven't listened to the musical, please do. It's pretty fantastic! I was made to hear it over and over again for months, since my daughter fell in love with it back when it first came out. Back to Aaron Burr and his philosophy--my daughter has a very passionately negative response to his character. You may ask why? So did I. Well...

 

...In light of the recent political debate regarding gun control, my daughter and I have had some heated discussions. Whether or not I will let her attend a political rally, demonstration, etc. Whether or not I will let her risk so much for this cause. This isn't the first time we've had these discussions. She really wants to be an activist. So, now you begin to see why she viscerally dislikes Aaron Burr's political philosophy of "Talk Less, Smile More." She wants to Talk More and Kick Some Serious Political A-------you know what I'm trying to say here.

 

So as her mom, I am conflicted. Do I let her do these scary/risky things, or I do a try and make her stay safely and quietly at home.

She's really young. Still. To me. But in reality, she's almost 18 and leaving for college soon. Of course I will let her go--just hopefully armed with a good head on her shoulders!

 

After all these crazy thoughts, I realize that it just never occurred to me how very Aaron Burr-ish I am. I wish I had her passion for creating change. Maybe I do, but my methods are far more simple and understated (like writing a blog post!).

 

For all of you out there with a passion for change--Go Forth and Make it Happen! I'm rooting for you, and looking for great visual inspiration all the while!