In Pursuit of More
A new series of paintings in this body of work is here
As we turn our gaze up to the sky, we dare to dream of more and find the capacity to go get it.
If you’re busy on your pursuit of more and want to skip ahead to see the paintings, scroll down.
Just like the sky unites us in its timeless consistency, the fact that we have so much potential hidden below the surface is a nearly universal experience. We’re not yet who we could be. We haven’t yet achieved what we’re capable of.
The path there isn’t always clear and it’s definitely not always easy. Progress often feels like it crawls along at a snail’s pace. Never big enough. Rarely fast enough.
*accurate representation of scale
The neurotransmitter responsible for this pursuit of more is called dopamine. Dopamine nudges us along on our journey of striving to obtain something in the distance.
It has compelled our innovation and helped keep us alive through the hardest times our species has encountered. It helped us find water and food during drought and famine.
This molecule doesn’t distinguish between good and bad “more” though. Just like the rain that comes from the clouds, dopamine can be a force to nourish or to destroy.
You get to determine which direction this universal drive for more will take in your life. Will you channel it towards what you want out of life or will you let it pull you away “just one more” at a time? Little decisions matter. In one year, by getting 1% better each day, you can build up to 38 or you can get 1% worse end the year at 0.
To get where we want to go, we need little nudges to “keep on” through the boring and through the tough alike. And when there’s not enough dopamine running through your system to keep on, it is remarkably easy to hack — and that hack has everything to do with the sky.
The simple act of changing the direction of your gaze activates it.
They say this is true regardless how much effort is involved. It applies whether “up” is on the other side of table or across the horizon.
With this message about "looking up", my goal is to bring you encouragement and hope in your pursuit of more. The mechanism you need to get where you want to go is far more in your control than you may realize.
Look up to that place where the atmospheric perspective fades and the sky gets deep blue.
The place where it's hard to look much farther. Then mindfully direct where it takes you.
Let these paintings be a reminder to look up when you need that extra nudge to keep on.
Keep scrolling for information about the paintings and books, podcasts, and music that inspired this series.
Technical
These are all painted in oil and were created in 2021. The minis are on board and are 0.75” deep. The rest are on canvas and are 1.5” deep.
The reference photos I painted this series from were taken right after one of those epic Texas storms. Everything was extra bright, sharp, saturated, and clear.
They’re cropped and zoomed in to add to the ubiquitous anywhere, anytime feel.
The back lighting by the sun is a symbol of hope and optimism shining behind.
The base layer of these paintings, as with much of my work, is fluorescent pink. It represents a vibrant potential hidden within each of us.
Inspiration
Want to dive deeper? Here’s a little peak into what I’m listening to and thinking about while making these.
Click image to listen.
Music
If you want to hear some of the songs that I listened to while making this that have lyrics that tie in, I made a Spotify playlist for you. Here’s a few of my favorite lyrics:
Cloud Chaser - Jill Andrews
“I know just what I want, and who I want to be. I’m a cloud chaser.”
My Life, My Love - Friends & Family
“I've been staring a hole in the sky. I keep wasting my time wondering of all the places I could be, I am not who I was in the dreams we dare to dream when we are young. One day, we wake up and we become something different.
“We are the sums of our decisions, the fruit of our ambitions. A grain of sand a drop in the ocean. Oh, what a trying notion.
“And I can't help but think - there must be something I am missing.See when I lay my head to sleep, a voice inside keeps whispering ‘Are you where you want to be? Are you where you're wanting now to go? No?’ ”
Books
Here’s some of the books that inspired the concepts behind this collection. The audible recordings both of them are great too.
Click photos for amazon links.
Podcasts
I kind of fangirl Huberman here but he goes into some super nerdy stuff in a very approachable and actionable way. While listening to him and to Molecule of More audiobook, a lightbulb went off about why I am so captivated by the sky and what it does for me.
Click images to link to the episodes.
Prints
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