Morgan Harper Nichols @morganharpernichols - Tumblr Blog

May every brushstroke you paint with your life play a small, yet meaningful part in exploring how the process of painting itself is its own work of art. One of the most common questions I am asked is why and how I share my work every day. I am also asked some variation of this: "Why don't I work on something and post it weekly? Or monthly?" I tried that, but it didn't work for me. Due to my particular version of autism/ADHD, I prefer to break things down into smaller sizes. This is still difficult because I don't want to "clog" people's feeds or take up too much space. Even though it's natural for me, I still get insecure about sharing often. However, there has been an image that has helped me: a paintbrush. And here's how that image became important to me: I came across a quote by the African American sculptor Augusta Savage one day while researching her: She said, "I have created nothing really beautiful, really lasting, but if I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent, I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work." This quote holds even more significance to me because it highlights the unfortunate fact that despite being the only black woman commissioned by the World Fair, Augusta Savage's work was destroyed after the fair in 1939. This quote made me realize that sharing my work in my own way can help others learn, even if it's just how to be present or take a deep breath. My daily work can help others learn in their own way. For me, a paintbrush symbolizes the process and how I can return to it daily in my own way. Often with help, those little things become books and more! But most days, it's just moving from one little piece to the next in my own way. I definitely challenge myself to make larger works like books, and at the same time, the small daily sharing helps me stay with the process. Each piece of my work is like a brushstroke on a larger canvas that will not be finished until the end of my life. Augusta Savage's words have taught me that letting the work live beyond me in the way it wants to is what matters. And if it ends up being broken up into a million tiny pieces, I am more than okay with that. -- Morgan Harper Nichols

#art history #autism #adhd #artist #artists on tumblr #morgan harper nichols #creativity #inspirational #inspiration #neurodiverse artist

Reimagining Time With Art

You are free to be present to your life

without always worrying about time.

_

If you had a box of 100 crayons in front of you right now, how would you color time?

This is something I think about when I sit down to create a piece that involves clock imagery. For me, even the smallest subversion of not "finishing" the clock I am drawing and then, in many cases, creating a whole other world around it is a way of creating space to think about time in a different way.

Of course, I am not the first artist to make a piece involving clocks or time imagery, but I find it important to return to this practice of drawing "little" things like clocks, even if someone else has already "done it" before. I return to images like the clock not just to make a pretty picture but to imagine "time" differently, even if it's just for a few moments.

Clocks - especially as we know them today - are not ancient. Our current ways of keeping up with time may help with modern-day logistics, but these current ways can only explain so much.

Now, one might think, "Well, this is a fun little creative exercise, but in real life, things are time-sensitive, and we don't have to think about all of this..."

To which I say this: "When you're moving through your day, you don't have to actively think about the meal you ate or every hour of sleep you got in order for it to make a difference that you got good rest and ate a fulfilling meal. The same could be true of an art practice...it's an opportunity to sit and think about something you don't normally think about that might end up leading you to something deeper you didn't even realize you needed to think about."

Even in our digitized world, the analog clock on the wall remains a strong image, and perhaps what we can learn from this image is that sometimes there is room to see it as a "prompt" - something to work with, work around, something to find our way through, asking, "Where in my life can I forget about time?"

I cannot tell you when or where you will have to shift your focus to "time," but I can tell you that there is still room to consider for yourself the ways in which you might "color" it differently...or forget about time altogether. - MHN

#quotes #inspirational #motivational #art #prose #poetry

Looking down into an unlit candle, I don’t doubt the candlewick’s ability to light a flame. Unless the wick has completely sunk into the wax, I believe it will contribute to the formation of fire at the appropriate time.

This is in contrast to my tendency to be skeptical of things that haven't yet ignited. Of course, there are times in life when opportunities "slip" down like a candlewick into the wax to the point of no return, but then there are times when I lose patience with a lack of results, answers, or clarity when there might be something more…

But an unlit candlewick reminds me that even though sometimes we have to say "goodbye" to a candle before we're ready, that doesn't mean there won't be other candles that bring forth fire when the time is right.

When the clock is ticking, and I'm focused on time, this is difficult work. Still, the more I learn about candles and all of the variables a candlemaker must consider when selecting the right wick—the diameter of the container that will hold it, the type of wax used, how it had to be tested, and so many other factors—it becomes clear that there are many steps to this process. The same is true of the unlit candles in my life.

What I'm learning from this is that I want to be able to look at something that isn't lit and not doubt its ability to light up at the right time. Even if I have to say goodbye to a candle that can no longer be lit, I want to grieve that, and in time, I want to believe there will be other opportunities to fill this room with light in the future.

So, the next time you look down at a candle and see the wick, I hope you can feel confident that it will light when the time is right. Of course, not always. However, something may appear to have ended when it is simply unlit. You're free to consider the possibility that, among all the things you've said "goodbye" to, other things might still ignite in their time. Holding that tension is hard, but I just hope you can remember the possibility of a flame that might be

#art #poetry #prose

When I feel boxed in, I think of this door with three rows of windows side by side. From what I've seen, it's called a "window grille."

I can't help but see many things here:

A social media profile with images and videos side-by-side.

A wall of photographs in square frames.

A wall calendar with many entries in little squares.

Even a yearbook with square student photos lined up side by side.

These things are different, but they have this in common:

As much as they reveal, they only say so much:

A full social media feed can tell a lot about life, but for many things, a 10-minute video would only scratch the surface.

A grid of photos (on your phone or in real life) are just the moments someone decided to capture.

A full calendar reveals much about life, but it doesn't tell you everything.

An old yearbook photo might lead to a thousand words, but still, leave out 10,000 other words about everything that happened your senior year.

I see these "boxes" everywhere.

Even when sending a text, that narrow horizontal window where you type sometimes makes me feel like what I need to say must take up as little space as possible.

I'm not saying texts must be 100 words or even a sentence.

I'm not suggesting gridless windows and doors.

Frames and brevity are useful.

We often need to "edit the plate."

Save time, and value others' time,

and be expedient when necessary.

But in our fast-paced world, windows keep closing faster and faster.

So I'm learning to break out of some boxes:

I'm fine if people keep scrolling and leave because I didn't get to the point fast enough ––

There are billions of other posts out there that will grab their attention better than I can.

I'll always respect others' time. And also, I can't control all those variables.

I can't be put in a box of 60 seconds for everything, just like I can't be put in a box about what "30s" should look like. And I want the same for my 40s, 50s, and so on.

Windows, frames, boxes, squares, and rectangles may have their place, and also, when you feel stuck, I hope you find ways to discover how: there's more out there.

Putting something in a frame might just always have its place in our world, and, so will finding ways to live unframed. - Morgan Harper Nichols

#prose #everyday #life #life quotes #art #morgan harper nichols #mhn

Day 1 of 30: The Poetry of [Seemingly] Ordinary Things

Perhaps, one particularly fascinating thing about packages of seeds is not just the fact that they each contain individual seeds all packaged according to their collective commonalities that might bloom in their own way, but also, how, despite their different purposes and care needs and appearances, there is a possibility that these different packages can be carefully opened in an unhurried way, and can be planted to grow together.

And yet, what could be even more fascinating are the ways in which these seeds, not-yet-bloomed, are often perceived as a beginning of what they could be and nothing more. But when we look closer at the seeds of flowers in particular, we are able to imagine that there is a possibility that someday they might become cosmos or marigold or some mix of flowers waiting to be revealed.

And all of this imagining of how seeds can grow can happen long before they actually grow. When they are sitting on the kitchen counter next to a keychain filled with keys and stacks of unopened envelopes, on some cold, Thursday morning, right there, long before they even reach the soil, there is this idea that is very much alive that this seed could be so much more.

Perhaps, for some of these seeds, despite having been excitedly picked up in a whim of hopefulness, upon further research, one might recognize that these seeds are best sown in future seasons. In that moment, it might become clear that despite the sense of hopefulness that led to bringing these seeds home, there will be further waiting than anticipated. But at the same time, even in the waiting, the seeds will have never ceased to be what they are: seeds that still hold the possibility of what could be.

And yes, in that moment, the idea of 'possibility' might at times become too burdensome of a word, thinking about all these different seeds you have and how much you want them all to bloom together at the same time. And now , some will have to wait, and some may need more care than others, and some might need more sunlight than you originally realized. However, somehow who they are and who they might be still remains, no matter the time it takes for them to make it to the soil, to be watered, and to grow. - MHN

the process of illumination #quote #morganharpernichols #qotd

December ♥️🌲

#morgan harper nichols #quote #inspirational #december #winter #christmas #new year #encouraging #reminder #hope #pink #writing #list

You did not see this year turning out this way, and the plans that seemed steady have fallen out of place, but even here, even now, you have not fallen from grace; this glorious unmerited favor that shows up everyday, reminding you: you are Loved...even while you feel this way. And it is okay to say, “this is hard.” It is okay if things are not the same. It is okay if there are feelings that are strong, but they are confusing and too hard to name. For more than you were made to sort through all of this, you were made to trust and let go. You were made to go through every stage it takes to learn, to heal, to grow. — Morgan Harper Nichols