PONDER: The Open Mind

My grandma used to say something about not having so open a mind that your brain falls out….  Then again, being open and inquisitive about other approaches can shine a light on things we take for granted. 

I think of myself as a person with an open mind, but am I?  Just because I like different and weird stuff doesn’t make my mind open.  Maybe trying that stuff in the first place was open….  but being an oddball doesn’t make a person open-minded.

Being at Lipking’s workshop was a delightful departure for me.  Things I thought were settled issues got unsettled.  Like: what white to use, what’s a basic fleshtone made of, what’s a workshop for, how much likeness do you need to get, how do you lay out a drawing, how do you control your palette, how much color fidelity do you need, etc.  He said “I’m making a Lipking.”  Which made me think “Oh shit - what am *I* making?” 

In all honesty, I’m not really interested in making Lipkings - I can’t get comfy with the floppy brushes or the titanium white.  Luckily somebody already has the Lipking job all locked up. 

I think as we get older - and, let’s face it, consider ourselves “trained” - our open minds close little by little as we check things off the list of “stuff to find out.”  It might take a crowbar (or open bar!) to pop it back open.  Feels good though!