‘Cause you were amazing
And we did amazing things
And I wouldn’t change it
‘Cause we were amazing things!
Rebuilding bridges in your mind
Your eagerness now is on the line
The plastic mountain at your feet
Divided streets now as you look to find a seat”
Amazing lyrics Alex Loyd
I have lost count but posted about 60 boxes of art to CEOS, world leaders, and actors and musicians and big art museums and many others including the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis and had perhaps had 15 returned over the past four years. I think most importantly were the six boxes of art and installation instructions for Australia’s top charities and aid agencies such as Oxfam and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Mostly I also include a letter and instructions on how to set up an art installation with photos to be printed big A0 size and framed and performance videos usually on the beach along with around 80 drawings in each box. For those unfamiliar with contemporary art an installation is sort of when the room and everything in it becomes the artwork. These boxes of art don’t cost much to make but the cost of postage is quite pricey and limits how much art I can get out there. This has sort of been my secret art project unknown to even my friends, family and acquaintances except when boxes of rejected packages came back to my mum’s address after she moved to a nursing home and I think my brother and his wife were deeply concerned for me and thought I had completely lost my mind. I think that perhaps none of the installations have been made but my dream is that the ones I sent to big museums like the Guggenheim in New York shall build the installation I sent them one day and exhibit it in a few rooms at their museum eventually.
However, my favourite gifts. are drawings that I have given in person to many people such as airline staff while flying and community transport drivers, cleaners at hospitals, and all other hospital staff and baristas.
As I said I have lost count of how many I have given but my guess is in the vicinity of three thousand drawings all together and sometimes art performance DVDs as I’m kind of old school. Also, instructions for neon sign artworks, art in glass vitrines and video projectors showing the videos projected onto walls on IKEA trestle tables.
I love the following Dalai Lama quote about compassion and happiness.
“Happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events.”
Dalai Lama
I find that I am happiest when my state of mind is clear or I see the silver lining in situations in sometimes challenging circumstances externally as the Dalai Lama says.
Mary MacKillop was an amazing female role model and Australia’s only saint and I love her following quote about platonic love and charity:
“Love one another, bear with one another, and let charity guide you. “
Mary Mackillop
Pope Leo XIV seems to be progressive in his views as the first American Pope and I like the following quote:
“Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the Church.”
Pope Leo XIV
The importance of giving isn’t for making me feel warm and fuzzy in my books but rather it builds a sense of trust that is much stronger and deeper than just offering kind words.
Malala Yousafzai is an amazing role model for women globally to be empowered with an education no matter where they live and I particularly like her following quote. I feel an education opens up doors of opportunity for those that have that opportunity.
“I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.”
Malala Yousafzai
Bill Gates has achieved a lot in reducing global poverty. I give a little art but he gives billions to the poorest of the poor. I love the following two Gates quotes about the importance of failure and mistakes being our best lessons.
“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose”, “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure”,
Bill Gates
The following Jessica Mauboy quote on being indigenous and proud and how important her indigenous heritage is in underpinning her amazing acting and singing gifts:
“There’s been moments where I’ve felt, as an indigenous woman growing up in Australia, there’s been that kind of rivalry of being indigenous… I’ve had that experience of someone saying, ‘I don’t know if she’s going to go that far.’
Jessica Mauboy
I wasn’t sure if I should write this essay about my giving and thought about it a bit but I really wanted to build trust with those I have given to but also those that I haven’t as if I had the time and resources then I would give a drawing to everyone I meet.
However, the best of my giving was when visiting Sydney or travelling abroad and giving shoes, clothes and food to the homeless and in my books if anyone in the global community who needs generosity then it’s the homeless who are displaced and their life is extremely uncomfortable and precarious.
I hope I’m not big noting myself but rather trying to build strong bridges with everyone I’ve sent or given to particularly art.
It’s Saturday night and I’ve written the rough draft of this essay on the notes section of my iPhone while watching a movie on Netflix.
I draw every morning mainly after beach walking but my foot is a bit sore today so I had to not walk and rest my foot. I used to do ten drawings a day but now it’s more like between 12 and 20 drawings and five drawings every day are about my friends and protectors from Australia and also about my friends from and in America. The rest of the drawings are of my spiritual role models more often than not Mary MacKillop, Marie my mum, Saint Francis of Assisi and the Dalai Lama.
Also, Yannick took me out for coffee and shopping at Bunnings and Woolworths this morning.
So today I am sort of the Dalai Lama’s and Pope Leo’s XIV loved cat and wish they could feed me a nice saucer of warm milk while I rest my sore paw.
So, in conclusion if we are all our own grandmothers then we shall be ok. Also, not as an afterthought but as a defining thought I have achieved nothing on my own but mainly under the umbrella of love of my departed dear mother and being a member of a compassionate local and global community. That communities love is like Mary MacKillop’s platonic love like herbal green tea with honey: soothing and sweet.
