Artistic Imagination?

I don't plan to do this often but on occasion: for this post I'm including a link to one of my earlier WordPress blog posts on the subject.

But first, the other day I built something quick and basic w/o sanding, painting or staining it. There are a few things I'll likely change to upgrade it but it's a simple 7 string lyre made out of a wooden, mostly square cigarbox with fishing line strings and zither tuners. It can be tuned all sorts of ways and one can use one, two, three or more fingers to play in several ways or all at once. More versatile than one might think at first thought!

GK Lyre

In my very pre-teen years I recall my mother would sometimes saying "You have such an imagination!" and like many things, she turned out to be quite correct :)

As I posted the lyre pic and a video clip in social media I began getting kind, encouraging comments mentioning my creativity and imagination.

God has blessed me with fairly "thick skin" and a sense of humor as well so I don't mind getting laughed at either!

Here's something I've used for a several years when a show someone plans to do with me in solo performance needs a stage plot. I know how and even have templates that look more professional... and unless it's a mainstream venue, I simply email this "special" one of mine:

GK Solo - Stage Plot

In a lifetime of searching, reading, prayer, exploration of music and with a wide range of instruments and sounds beyond what is considered "the norm", the same regarding hours in the woods, world travel, pouring over encyclopedias and now the Web regarding art forms, do-it-yourself projects (again, a vast variety of those in several modes musical and beyond) it's simply part of my nature, who I am.

It IS quite cathartic, therapeutic and indeed enables me to work, fail, sometimes half-succeed and on occasion really nail something I at least like -if not inspiring others to move down their own artistic path. I suppose this is partly why the pandemic didn't hit me as hard emotionally (though I had Covid twice) so due to phone, tablet, computer and Web technology (I'm also a die-hard Linux operating system fanboi) I simply shifted focus to more d.i.y. projects and sharing, expanding, learning, growing.

I don't really care if folks "don't get it" whatever the "it" is I come up with. The grace of coloring outside typical "lines" has never much bothered me because in all honesty, my security is in God's love, Jesus' compassion, the Spirit's indwelling grace, my faith in God's Word and continuing right through the years to read, listen, watch, pray, get information and learn from, at least be somewhat inspired by what others share online and in other modes of communication.

Why limit yourself? God doesn't call any of us to live in continual "performance mode" but to stretch out, learn, grow, progress adding to the talent/s He gives on our journey and to bless some, some I say -so... the one, the ten, the thousands? Well that's up to HIM and I'm content He knows what's up even when I don't re. my imagination and artworks however feeble or grand someone may think they are.

So- that blog post I mentioned above: https://gkaiser.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/creating-matters/

May you be encouraged! And as always, thanks for stopping by. -Glenn