While November is often synonymous with a drop in vitality, for me it is more of a boost, fuelled by the Parisian exhibitions and the excitement of the calendar campaign!
In the meantime, it was during a 13-hour bus trip to Paris that I finally opened The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. In this month's post, I want to share with you my discoveries and thoughts from this reading. If you have also read it, do not hesitate to share your impressions and the lessons you learned from it in the comments!
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I had been wanting to read it for a while: I had heard so much about it! Then it ended up in my hands: it was given to me. This fall, I dove into it with curiosity. What could possibly explain that so many people like it so much?
As I read, I understood. This book speaks a universal language. It transcends cultures and rekindles in each of us an inner spark that is sometimes good to remember. It gives hope, encouraging us not to forget that, no matter our current situation, each experience is part of our Personal Legend . A necessary step to achieve this still invisible goal.
The book also reminds us that we are the decision-makers of our lives . At every moment, we have a choice: to follow the path traced by our heart or to give up, to trade our quest for a fleeting happiness dictated not by the heart, but by fear.
If there is one major lesson to be learned, it is that love is never an obstacle to our quest . On the contrary, it harmonizes with it, because our hearts are connected to the Universe apparently. Perseverance then and no excuses.
"A quest always begins with Beginner's Luck. And always ends with the Conqueror's Trial."
It is sometimes difficult to accept it and not give up. In my case, I know that art is my Personal Legend. No matter how long it takes to achieve my quest, my heart and my dreams told me so. And if like Santiago I have to take intermediate steps to continue, then so be it ;)
Intermediate Steps
Ah, how tempting it is to look at the path of others... But even if we try to be inspired by them, it is their legend, not ours. So, we must take the time to observe what makes us unique, what we do best, and how we can contribute our stone to the "Greater Whole".
These small gestures, these rituals that seem insignificant at the time, end up defining our signature. As Yves Godard explains in an interview for Un Autre Atelier on YouTube , rituals are essential: they establish a discipline, a guideline, and benefit from the cumulative effect .
For my part, I realized that, before embarking on a large work, I need to explore my colors and movements on paper. This month, I resumed the exploration of my Wonderlands , small formats (20x20 cm, oil on paper) that allow me to enter a meditative state, to travel elsewhere and to escape the paralysis caused by the fear of failure.
These pieces of paper seem like little things and yet they form the visualization of the soul coming into harmony.
This is also the case for my 30 x 40 cm formats using the “Alla Prima” technique to give expression in a few brush strokes.
Connection to the living
In my research, much of my inspiration comes from my surroundings, the peaceful and calming mountains that surround me.
In mid-autumn, when the world seemed to be falling apart, I went out to contemplate nature. I found a reassuring, timeless beauty. Those warm tones, the sun low over the treetops, the roses blooming again, and now the primroses…
It was this autumnal serenity that inspired me, a timeless poetry whispering in my ear: "It' will be fine."
This theme also resonates with the work of my friend Odile Lanoix . We dream of collaborating for a future exhibition. In Martinique, perhaps? A confrontation of our endemic vegetation, between sea and mountain, separated by thousands of kilometers.
The journey has never left me, it lurks. It is part of the path, of my Personal Legend and of this quest towards the reconnection of men between themselves and with nature. The tree and the Pirogue. And you? What is your Personal Legend?
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