Break Away

Do not hold to the anchors of the past,
But break away, break away, break away fast.
Do not let yesterday keep your soul down,
But rise above, rise above, break free from the ground.

Spread your wings and stay your fears
Let the dawn of your freedom dry your tears.
Release your sorrows, hold them no more,
Embrace the Light and let your spirit soar.

Unshackle the pains that have kept you bound,
Bask in the liberty of the grace you have found.
Let go of the hate that consumes the world's heart,
And share love so the healing may start.

Copyright - Terry S. Banks, Sr. - 2009
All Rights Reserved

Off to College

Well, my son leaves tomorrow to move into his dorm at college. While I am proud as a father whose child is taking a big step in his life I am also very sad. My first born is leaving the nest. He is beginning the next step in his journey through life.

I remember the day he was born and I was able to hold his tiny body and I wept with tears of Joy to see his shining face. I remember his first steps and holding him, singing stupid songs I'd make up to help him go to sleep.

I vividly recall his first stitches, his broken arm and the surgery that followed. I cannot take from him the trials that he will face as an adult but I will hold dear the time that God has given me to care over him.

To my son, be honest in your life, and face the world head on. Do not let anyone keep you down. Be the leader I know you are. Trust wholly in God and know that you are in His hands. Love like there is no tomorrow and continue to be the generous soul that you are right now. Meet every challenge with a fire and vigor that will shake the very foundations of the enemy. Seek wisdom and treasure it for it is far greater than gold. When all around you are doing the wrong thing...do right. Have courage to accept responsibilty for your decisions even when they are wrong. Learn. Listen and think before you speak. Treat people with basic respect even when they do not extend that courtesy to you. Hold true to your beliefs and remember the foundation upon which you were taught. Above all son, always remember you are my son and I love you with all that I am. You will always be my child and you should know how very proud I am of you. It is a great honor to me that I may call a man like you my son.

I realize

As I get older I notice pains that I have never had. I notice that my youth is going quicker today than it went yesterday and it will go faster tomorrow. But I try not to worry about these things instea I worry about the day and what I have to do to keep things going. Those worries are some of the things that contribute to my creative block. I am hopng by talking about them that I will force a breakthrough. I think it may be working, I seem to be able to work better today than yesterday.

Creativity seems to escape me at times but still i see signs of it nearby. I may miss it but I sense that I am getting closer. I feel the burn of it's absence in me and I yearn for it to fill me again. Hmmm. Funny choice of words, "Fill Me Again." Just as we occassionly need a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. A renewing breath from the Lord to carry us over the hard spots in life. Is there a connection? I think so. I know at these times I am often far from God due to my getting wrapped up in the worries of this life.

It is hard to seperate yourself from the worries of this life though. I mean you have a lot of people depending on you. The wife, the kids, the in-laws, friends and relatives, not to mention clients. Then there are the bill collectors and the tax collectors. ARRRRGGG!!! It is sometimes overbearing, all the people you have to work for and it seems so diffiult that most of them don't do much or you. Don't get me wrong, the wife, kids, friends and family all share love and are 0ften in the same boat that I am in but it is hard at times.

I am not meaning to whine, I am just very tired and beat. I want to do good for my family and loved ones...but I also want to do good for God. Often times I abuse His grace and forgiving nature to satisfy others. But make no mistake about it God does truly get all the glory for my life. His mercy and grace and love are what makes me. My creativity is from His divine nature.

But back to my realization from earlier...I need a fresh breath from the Lord and a renewed fire and I beleive that is directly affect my creativity.

Blocked

Just sitting here thinking about art and artist's blocks. Over the years I have occassionally run dry as an artist and it is very bothersome. As a commercial artist you have to be on all the time because your client expect the best from you. Recharging the old creative cells is sometimes harder than others. Sometimes I can watch a good movie or see a good illustrator and that will inspire me, lighting the fires for more work...but on occassion the elusive spark is harder to catch.

Now I believe that keeping the spark alive is easier he more you work in creativity but after a while your energy runs low and you need to rejuvinate that creativity. How does one do this?

Well, like I stated earlier, a movie sometimes helps, or looking a fine art. Doing something fun to take your mind off of the drain. Sometimes it is just rest. You need to rest and get a way. Spend a day just doing nothing. But that is often hard when you have clients depending on you for projects but if you do the projects at less than a hundred percent are you cheating the clients?

Very frustrating and agrivating. I find myself hitting that wall right now and it is getting on my nerves. I have not been happy with some of the work that I have done lately...it looked OK and it is passable but I felt no real connection with the work and I normally do feel that connection. It bothers me deeply to not feel that connection.

Frustrating.