Card: Persistence

Landscape: Spirit/Intuition

Title of Painting: Charlie and Me

Interpretation: Some things comes easy. Others take our entire lives to achieve. The outcome you are seeking is not yet in sight, but please trust that you have laid the groundwork for its fruition. Tending the soil where the seeds of your dreams are buried requires persistence and faith. And seeds that don’t sprout right away can be disheartening and may cause you to wonder if you’ll ever see the fruits of your labor. It can even appear, at least to outside observers, like your choice to tend seemingly barren land is futile or even crazy. You now find yourself in a moment that all gardeners know well: faith-time. Stay calm. Watch closely. Listen. Be deliberate. You’re playing the long game now.

Deeper Resonance: This is the painting that started my career as a painter. Charlie was a baby. It was early 2011 and I felt trapped by Charlie's diagnosis and his need for round the clock medical care. I was also waking up the reality that my acting career was over for a while. My creative life was dying and I had no outlet for my work as a collaborative story-teller.

Those were dark days. I had to do something creative and meaningful. So one day, I painted this image on top of an Ikea print that was hanging in our house. It's a depiction of me painting while holding Charlie. It was - and is still - a reminder that no matter what challenges I face, no matter what obstacles lie in my path, I must always continue making art. Art heals me. And it turns out that it heals Charlie too.

P.S. Take a look at the original printed card if you have it. Notice something? Spelling has always been my weakness. Still, I keep at it!