The First Brush Stroke is the Hardest...

DaVinci (Head of a Woman)

     I remember looking into my son's face just after he was born and thinking that everything I do as a father from this point on will determine who or what he would eventually become. It is a daunting task, because you are so careful and often hesitant to make that first stroke, for when the brush hits the canvas, there is no turning back. So that first brush stroke is the hardest because that will set in motion the final outcome of the work. Can't erase it and you can try to cover it up, but the effects could be too obvious. So you sit back and wonder how you would like it to look. The most frustrating inevitability is that after too long the painting will get a chance to begin to paint itself and all you can hope for at that point is you've laid the basis of the work going forward. I'm sure my parents look at me from time to time and say: "Didn't think he would've turned out like that." Not saying that's a bad thing, just that the ideals we often paint in our minds never really get to make it to the canvas, and quite often what ends up on the canvas, is a whole hell of a lot better than what we could ever have dreamed. Oh... and guess what? It never stops. You are being painted right now as you read this, and I am being painted right now as I type. The process is infinite. Even if you don't want to paint, that choice is what you are painting on somebody RIGHT NOW! OH MY HEAD!!! This is getting into some deep universal thought now boys and girls. Actions and choices that stretch across vast planes of conscious and unconscious processes that manipulate the futures of countless entities tangled in the threads of your astral web of influence.... (BREATHE)... It's true.

Dong Yuan (Song Dynasty)

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

-Sir Isaac Newton

It's real... The choices you make effect the lives and choices of all those around you. Even if it's so minuscule you never notice it. I try my hardest to share a little bit of my wisdom with those around me. My wife would say I'm being sort of pompous for imposing my thoughts and opinions on others, and maybe she is right, but an honest opposition can be the catalyst for a change in direction. You will never change the person that you are, but the slightest brush stroke could alter the outcome of the magnum opus vitae. 

Gustav Klimt (The Kiss)

The time is now... The paints aren't always the finest quality... The canvas may be tattered and torn... But... To be a great friend, lover, spouse, mentor, or parent is all we need. The riches of hard work, love, and happiness are all the that drives true passion to live each day for the success of that final masterpiece. Pick up the brush... Find the canvas... and paint!! Oh, and don't be afraid to let those you love in life add to the amazing work of art that is YOU. 

I love you all my friends... Work hard, play hard, love hard...

di Michelino (Fresco from "La Divina Commedia")

Salvador Dali (Galatea of the Spheres)

van Gogh (Starry Night)