“You are kind to painters,” Van Gogh wrote to his brother, “and I tell you the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” – Brenda Ueland

Brenda Ueland wrote, “If You Want to Write” published in 1938 but still available in book stores. She passed away in 1985 but as the back flap of the second edition (published in 1983) reads, “…she continues to write and to help other writers in the troublesome business of putting words on paper.” Isn’t that wonderful! She’s an inspiring teacher.  

Writing is a troublesome business in that it requires sharing, bringing my inside to the outside. Often in that turning, my worlds collide. It’s not the quick flip of a pancake, it’s bloody and messy and takes time. But it’s why I write, to uncover, reveal, make sense of, and show so that I can understand the world and my part in it.

Writing (and creating art) is both the process and the result of findings. It is truly artistic to love people. It’s why writers and painters grow their imagined food.

Until next space…