Card: Improvise

Landscape: Community/Collective

Title of Painting: Where the Cool Grass Grows

Interpretation:  Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a scene or story are made up in the moment. For jazz musicians, it is one of the defining elements of their technique and allows for spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts. If you’re a planner, this card is here to remind you that the best moments cannot be orchestrated. Yes to learning your instrument. Yes to understanding traditional chord progressions. But when the moment arrives, let your preparation be combustible. It’s only use is as fuel for making exciting and bold choices. If you’re an old pro at improv, this card is an affirmation that you’re in your home-run zone. Just make sure that you’re listening and making space for each instrument in the jam-session.

Deeper Resonance: This painting was created for a family of musicians. They have a child who is neuro-diverse and has a fondness for the story of “Ferdinand the Bull” by Munro Leaf. The famous line from Leaf’s text, “He liked to sit, just quietly, and smell the flowers,” is painted into the background of this piece. This painting was an affirmation to enjoy the little moments and honor the mistakes.