No. 9
NO. 9
There’s something to be said about finding that perfect flow state. Everything aligns. My head is in the clouds, but my feet are deeply rooted on the ground. Energy flows freely from above and below.
In that moment, I lose all track of time. In fact, it stands still or perhaps bends in on itself. What merely feels like seconds turns into hours.
It’s 2am. I forgot to eat. I forgot to turn on the porch lights. I forgot to sleep.
The only thing that matters, the only thing that exists, is the present moment.
Here and now.
This is when I feel most alive, most like myself. There are no influences from the outside world. It’s just me and the soft rustling of my thoughts. My own private muse gently guiding my hand as I create and as I write. As I weave emotion into narratives with shapes and colors, adding a touch of hope and mystery.
Alone.
Yet connected to...
everything.
***
“Spend more time doing things that make you forget about the time.”
― Charlotte Eriksson
***
I had the wonderful pleasure of organizing a poetry reading with several poets from the Pikes Peak Region on the ideas and concepts surrounding this series. It was an absolutely beautiful evening that brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. It also reminded me how important it is for poetry to be read aloud so everyone can hear the intention, the inflection and the emotion behind every delicate word.
Allow me to introduce this lovely poem written by Shane Autumn Ashwind inspired by No. 9.
Universal Power
As the shadows of the night drew down
The light of the stars peaked through the darkness above
Each glimmering point holding possibilities and knowledge beyond my imagination
I wonder at their impermanence
Destinies of supernovas after billions of years of existence
Gaseous giants still fade from the sky, no matter their density
I ponder for a moment if there is something beyond these stars
A purpose to the ever-changing, forever moving universe
Then I hear it,
deep in my mind, I hear her voice
“To love,” Are the first words I recognize
The voice is low and deep, but lyrical in the way poets tend to get when they speak of their passions
And with her haunted whispers, my body blazed
Alive
“To create”.
The stars blur above me
“To find beauty.”
My knees become weak as the voice continues on
“To share joy.”
I am caught between the vastness of the sky and my own unknowable mind, which may no longer be my own
“To believe.”
I hold each of her words in my chest
I feel them expanding as I draw a breath in
I think I see sparks in the air around me
Jolts of energy I cannot comprehend
Manifesting with every breath I blow out
I watch them, imagining my own power and abilities.
The lessons continue to sit within me.
“I have heard you.”
The words fumble from my lips but I know that does not matter
“I have heard you and now there is work to be done.”
A Joining of the Visual and Literary Arts
For those who would prefer to hear this poem, you can listen here. This poem begins five minutes in at 5:08. Enjoy!
Interested in adding No. 9 to your collection?
Behind the Scenes - No. 9
This piece is a composite of two main photographs. One I took atop Pikes Peak back in 2018. Everyone came to visit us that year, having moved to this beautiful state only the year prior.
As one can only imagine, the clouds are even grander when you're another 8,000 or so feet up. It feels almost like you can reach out and touch them. Giant floating pieces of cotton.
I can only imagine how they must appear on some of the world's tallest mountains.
The idea for this piece came more than a year after this initial photograph was born.
I found myself inside me studio with my camera on a tripod set low to the ground to capture the proper perspective - ant's eye view.
Then I began throwing polyfil, you know, what you stuff in pillows and teddy bears, up into the air while attempting to capture that perfect frame, completely obscuring my head from view.
Several attempts were rather amusing.
Somewhere in the ballpark of 80 frames, I managed to capture exactly what I was looking for and No. 9 was born.
Interested in adding No. 9 to your collection?
Feel free to share this newsletter with your art lover friends. Leave a comment. Drop me a line. Until next time.
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