V is for Vision

 V is for Vision

.....Very.......Verbs......Variety.......Vanity.....Velveteen Rabbit.....Verdi the snake....

 You need to have a vision. A very long term vision, full of variety and all sorts of verbs like playing, imagining, dreaming and loving.....vanity has to fall by the wayside.  Fill yourself to overflowing with vision. 

You are probably familiar with the story of the Velveteen Rabbit. If you haven't, go buy it. The classic tale is worth a reread. While you are at it, look up Verdi. Not as well known, but the story of Verdi the snake deals with growing older....while staying young at heart.

  

Oddly, one of my favorite websites that illustrates all this; the very long term vision, variety, vanity and verbs of all kinds, is by a fashion photographer. "The Sartorialist" highlights people from around the world, some famous, most not. He captures people in all their quirky glory. Old ladies from Milan, high fashion models from Paris, people on the streets, on bikes, heading to work, waiting for the bus....love it. (70,000+ people a day agree with me too....this is one well-read blog!)

  The pictures of the older women (and men) are as interesting as any of the other random shots. He knows how to capture a moment in time. Makes you wonder what their story is. Because remember, EVERYONE, has a story. My secrets about secrets,  involves a particular person I would like to run into someday. Just one time. I want to hear his voice, take a look at his hands, see how he walks and relates to other people.
Voices, hands and how a person carries themselves down the street are all intriguing to me.

(V is also for Vague apparently

just chalk that last comment up to being a simple secret)

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"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse.

"You become.

It takes a long time. 

That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily,

or have sharp edges, 

or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally,

by the time you are Real,

most of your hair has been loved off, 

and your eyes drop out 

and you get loose in your joints

and very shabby. 

But these things don't matter at all,

because once you are Real 

you can't be ugly,

except to people who don't understand."
— The Velveteen Rabbit 

This is a 7 minute video of blogger Scott Schumann, aka, The Sartorialist. Sharing his artistic process, I especially love two phrases from this clip, paraphrased..

"you have to fall in love a little each day, allow yourself to be seduced a little each day "

and

"lack of knowledge really helped at the beginning" 

So true.

Love and discover  

and toughen up

You don't want to be "one of those who break easily

or have sharp edges, 

or who have to be carefully kept."