City Of Lights
“I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,” said Alice a little timidly; “but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”
I feel much like Alice these days: turned around in an entirely different world where everything has gone topsy-turvy. Things are wonderfully new and yet strangely familiar. Adventure lies behind each turn, and as I gaze ahead, I see nothing but opportunity. With such a bright future in front of me, there is certainly no way I can go back to yesterday. For despite my efforts to hold on to what I’ve known, life, it seems, has other plans and I have reason to believe they are much grander than my own.
One of the many beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
It's true what they say: a lot can change in six months. When I started this blog back in January of this year, I wrote about starting fresh and turning the page on a new chapter in my life. Shortly thereafter, I was confronted by the familiar question, “Are you currently making your best and most meaningful work?” This sent me on a several months-long period of self-reflection, in which I still find myself in the middle of. I have questioned my subject matter, my creative direction, my artistic techniques, my workflow, and my relationship with social media and its effect on my artwork. Largely, I have wondered how all the ideas in my mind will fit together, or if I must eventually abandon the lesser thoughts for the more prosperous of pursuits. I guess you can say that I am in the middle of a creative renaissance. Though after spending these past few months in contemplative retreat, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that if I dream of accomplishing something greater than myself with my art, then I must be willing to do things I have never done before and travel to places I have never been.
There are so many pieces to see and sketch from at the Louvre! I already know I will need to visit again soon.
Like Monet, Cézanne, and other great Impressionists of a time gone by, I, too, currently find myself in Paris. A pleasant string of unexpected events led me from my home studio in southeastern Massachusetts, to New York, and now France. Six months ago, I could have never imagined I would soon be ordering pain au chocolat and vin rouge, or finally standing in front of master paintings that I have spent my entire educational career studying. As you can imagine, it took a bit of time for the shock and awe of it all to wear off. Now that I have a couple of weeks under my belt, I’ve started to ask myself, “What next?” and, “Where is this taking me?”
There must be a reason that artists are drawn to Paris, or perhaps it’s the other way around. Maybe Paris pulls artists in, whether consciously or by some centrifugal force. Either way, there has always been something about the City of Lights that creates a positive shift in the creative mind of every artist. Though Paris is a lot different than it was during the time of the Impressionists, it is apparently still the epicenter of impactful change and movement. Nothing stands still here. Like hopping on and off the metro or walking with the flow of Parisiens along the River Seine, you must quickly learn to merge who you are with who you are becoming. Observing this energy and applying it to my own lifestyle has been exactly what I didn’t know I needed, and I am curious to see what great heights this will likely take my artwork.
A quick painting study in the little village of Combleux (a couple hours outside of Paris in the Loire Valley)
Originally, my last-minute plan was to come here for a total of three weeks. After spending one-third of that time simply observing and exploring my new surroundings, I’ve decided to extend my adventure for an additional week. I’ve traveled to Europe before, but never have I been away for an entire month. This will be my longest trip to date, and that means something. From the Louvre to the cobblestoned streets of Montmartre, Paris has already hinted at the changes coming into my life and the bright possibilities that lie ahead in the near future. Certainly, there is no going back to who I was yesterday, for like the many inspiring artists that came here before me, there’s something about the opportunity of being in Paris that is shaping my artistic perspective and the work I am meant to create.
“Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it.”