I have returned from "My Great Time Machine Adventure". Living in the past might be a bad idea but we must be careful not to lose touch with the places from which we come. I have been here in Dallas for more then ten years now and have been many other places over the last thirty years since I founded 431 Gallery. I've been lucky to have traveled many long journeys and I look foreward to many more Great Adventures here in Dallas and around the world. As I renewed my aquaintences with my old friends over the last several days, I would often tell them how I have found a sense of purpose in my life here in Dallas.
Indeed, I am very content with my present but, this week I learned that, in many ways, I never left Indianapolis or 431 Gallery. I don't have to travel back in time. Those days I lived thirty years ago were, no doubt, among the most important in my life and I am forever grateful for that opportunity to revisit them. But, I now realize, those days are still with me. My past has made me who I am today. I would not be the person or the teacher I am today if I had not lived those days. I made great friends while I learned a lot about art and life.
My life today, as your teacher, is very different. But, this week I learned that my classroom is most exciting and all of you can learn the most when I remember from where I've come and bring that with me as I prepare my lessons, critique your work and share with each of you how the creative process can bring us to many places in our hearts and minds as well as around the world.
No, it's not a good idea to live in the past but, don't forget to bring it with you as you make your future; no time machine needed.
