Embrace Change

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ReverieThe definition of ‘change’ in the dictionary points out to ‘make it different’. Simple enough. Change doesn’t have to be drastic, although it is often perceived that way. Changing little things also make a big difference and can propel to greater more drastic changes. Sometimes changes come without invitation in the form of opportunities. That is also a good thing. Some people need that extra push towards change. I like and embrace change. If I was as flexible with my body as I am with adapting to the surrounding situations I could make a good contortionist.

I would hate to live the same things over and over again for many years. It makes me think of Forest Gump and how there were the same people doing the same thing for years and years. My hometown is like that too. I love my hometown of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The feeling of revisiting my roots is always great and makes me realize I couldn’t stay there. People do the same things they did when I was a little kid. If they had no successors they left an empty space, a building falling apart along with the memories. In very few cases they left the task to their children who are now doing exactly the same. I couldn’t do that. I have so much to see and do elsewhere.

Looking back at the goals I designed for myself I can’t be anything but thankful. My life changes constantly. Some changes are drastic, but others are small and building up in multiple directions. At the beginning of the year I had some goals that multiplied and others that stopped or slowed down. I was looking one way to accomplish something but opportunities came from a different direction (and keep coming) to accomplish something else. Life keeps moving and goals keep reshaping themselves. It is perfect!

Living under the lie that we can plan and control everything in our lives will only leave us disappointments. Don’t get me wrong: planning is important. However, being capable of flexibility and adaptation to changes is even more important. Rigid trees break with the wind. Flexible ones move with and stay planted and strong. Embrace change!

Speaking About It

WorkBench: Sculpt Your Brain

Join us for this talk
Thursday, May 21, 12:00 pm at The Grove, 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT

Free admittance: More Info and RSVP

Join our Sculpting and Painting Parties

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Make It Organic

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Born AgainOne of the most challenging elements of the sculpting parties is to help people see the human body as a continuous flow of organic shapes. Most people see the human body as 4 planes: side, side, front, and back. You can see the edges joining those 4 sides making them almost independent from each other. I have to repeatedly prompt people to make it organic by eliminating the sharp edges because it needs to flow. Every part of the body has independent significance and we can dedicate a lot of time on each one, but the most important aspect is to make all the separate parts a cohesive unit. It is one body. All the parts make one.

When it comes to painting there is not much of a difference in the concept. We can have many elements in a painting but it is one painting. The composition and representation of all the elements need to flow to make it all one thing. How colors are applied has a lot to do with this, pretty much the same way as blending and flowing in sculpting. I encourage people not to clean the brushes to allow the colors to mix as they paint in such a way that all the colors used appear throughout the whole painting instead of having patches of colors here and there.

Life is no different either. People often want to compartmentalized their lives not realizing that it is one life. To compartmentalize life only produces sharp edges and patches of colors that interrupt the flow and organic nature of life itself. Everything must flow and intertwine. That is the meaning of the concept of ‘blessing’, ‘being blessed’, ‘being complete’, or ‘peace’. The salutation known as ‘shalom’ to the Hebrews. Let us have it on earth as it is in heaven, and in life as it is in art.

Ten Days Later

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“Daddy, this is the first day we don’t have a thing to do after school.” Ten days ago I posted about how exhausted I was. We were moving and it was not easy. Moving is never easy. IMG_5476.JPGYou win in some ways and you lose some things. I believe that it is mostly wins. The things you lose are opportunities to move forward. Now I don’t have studio space to work on my sculptures, but that could be just enough motivation to look forward to open a studio where people can see the art displayed, learn, and have fun with art. For now, I am having a lot of fun traveling and extending the sculpting and painting parties outside of Milford. IMG_5595.JPGYes, I still do it in Milford and it is going wonderfully. During the moving process I also had the chance to present on Online Media Tips for Artists, to participate in a basketball tournament, help dome friends, take the kids to their basketball games, and continue with our family activities. Ten days later I am writing again. I am thankful for the messages and the people still visiting the page waiting for the next post. IMG_5613.JPGI also keep drawing daily, because not having a studio space is not an excuse for not having studio time. Soon I’ll be sharing about other wonderful things happening this year.

There is no reason to be afraid or resistant to changes in life. We are changing every second of every minute, of every hour, of each day. Trying to maintain a constant life without change is virtually impossible. We age and that in itself is constant change. When I look at the wins and loses of change I feel confident that changing is for better. Transitions are always difficult and it is possible that stress and anxiety could cloud our vision and disorient us. It is important to take a moment to rest, consider the current situation, and focus on the next steps toward the future. In the process we might have to reconsider our goals and plans. The plans we made and the goals we set at the beginning of the year might not apply as planned. We need to review, revise, and adapt. Flexibility towards change, coping skills, and self-regulation are important aspects to succeed in life. Take a chance and move on.

I Am Forty

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i am 40

Yes, I am forty. What does that mean? It means I reached an age of enlightenment and wisdom. Being 40 means that anyone under the age of 28 could technically be my son or daughter. That statement in itself changes the way you see people and how you see yourself. Being 40 means that I am not as fast or strong as I used to be but I can still play sports with people half my age with the advantage that I have nothing to prove. The pressure is all on them. If I win, they get defeated by an old man. If I lose, I’m just old. It is a win-win situation for me.

It is good to understand the advantages and limitations of your own body at any age. I am aware of mine. I do have to start working out again for health purposes. I am really not concerned about the beauty aspects of working out because it really doesn’t get any better than this. My only concern is giving away my favorite jeans because my voice changes if I wear them. If I didn’t look like Hugh Jackman 10 years ago, it is not going to happen in the next 10 years. I take smart over handsome any day because smart gets better with age, handsome is just a path downhill after certain age. Either way I’m happy with my appearance. I just need to do my part to stay healthy.

Going back to how you see yourself and others, I think Paul provided a guideline to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:1-2) that transcends any age:

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

I am very happy to make it until today. It is going to be a regular busy day with all the blessings as any other day, but I’m glad I can be close to my wife and kids, what I have and what I do, and what I have to do. Here is for another day, celebrating each day like the last, but working as if I have 100 more years to live. The plan is to be 40 until I turn 50.

Like Singing in the Shower

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blog writingWriting a blog is like singing in the shower. You sing like no one is listening because most probably that’s the truth. Even if people are listening you don’t care. That’s your time to flex your pipes and let it out even if you don’t know how to sing. There is no program either. You don’t plan the songs you are going to sing in the shower ahead of time. Whatever song comes to mind you go with it. If you don’t remember the lyrics it doesn’t matter either. You make them up as you go. You mix up songs just for fun. It is your own private concert where you are performer and audience.

I began writing this blog two months ago because my wife suggested the idea. I didn’t know people actually read this stuff. I just began writing. To my surprise people are actually reading. I am very thankful for almost 10,000 views in two months to this website. I truly appreciate that. It is great to see the comments not only here but also in the social media sites. The e-mail messages are very encouraging and inspiring as well. I never received such good feedback from singing in the shower. I am sure that no matter how bad I write it is way better than my singing. Believe me when I say that you don’t want to hear me sing. It actually hurts people.

What’s the plan? What is this blog thing all about? This blog is a way to communicate the relationship between art, cognitive psychology, instructional design, and life. Which one is my favorite subject? I’ll say ‘experience’. I share what I live, know, and learn in these areas. I also like to write about all the things I don’t know. That makes it easier because I don’t know a lot. Like singing in the shower the plan is to enjoy the process of writing and do it from the heart, and sometimes from the brain. Since there is more hope for my writing than it is for my singing (no hope there) I would like to get better at it. It is a challenge to myself. By the one year milestone, for which I am not even close to almost halfway there, I would like to put together a book. Who knows? Maybe people still read books too.