Moving right along in the collection and things are going pretty darn awesome! Very happy about how the hunt for this series turned out. More people join the hunt each time, and every finder continues to surprise me.
INDIGO = WISDOM
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."
-Confucius
I learned so much with this series. The color alone gave me troubles for about 2 solid months to get right. Colorblindness was certainly a factor, and the difference between blues and purples are my Achilles' heal. Having indigo be right in the middle of the two... don't get me started. Figuring out a PonderMonster to represent "Wisdom" was just as difficult. Sure, it looks simple enough, but it took me forEVER to nail this one down.
Each letter, now quite lengthy, were written specifically about the ways in which we learn wisdom. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, wisdom was passed along to all those who did seek it.
Alright, let's get down to it.
1. REFLECTION, which is noblest.
Naturally, looking for a beautiful place to see a reflection, and having it be the most beautiful time of year, I headed to Smith Lake at Washington park. There are always so many people sitting and thinking on all the benches that are along the lake and I was hoping someone pensive might find it. I walked around the lake, and found the perfect place with a great reflection.
"INDIGO painting #1 of 3 is now up for grabs, so go find it! Clue: To learn WISDOM... reflection
is the first method. Only in calm waters can you truly see yourself.
What do you see? Taking the time to do this will earn you this gift.
Follow the pictures... BeWise and happy hunting!"
The letter:
The sun set quickly, and I left. The painting disappeared and I didn't get a response for quite some time. Later came to find out that a young lad stumbled upon the first of the wisdom paintings. Not really sure how he feels about it, but it appears to have been taken home, the letter was read and he realized that he needed to post a picture of it. Well, he did, but not alongside his face... Not the first time. Not the last, but at least it was found, and hopefully has a happy place to live.
Congratulations to you @dwarf_5210!!
Hopefully your new painting is hanging above your dwarf hamster home
with love. Keep exploring and seeing things that the rest of the world
misses.
The reflection that I saw in the finder was myself. A younger me having so much left to learn and experience in life. Coming across something that is magical and random can mean the world and spark new curiosities about the universe. Perhaps this piece will inspire and change the path for this person's life and will find new ways to appreciate and learn from what he stumbled upon as a child. Or maybe the opposite, he'll grow up to tell me that what I do is stupid and that he burned it along with everything that meant something to him as a child... can't rule out the possibility.
2. IMITATION, which is easiest.
I've heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We imitate those we look up to, and often copy the things we admire or love about them and repeat it until we can make it our own. The ones we imitate are our role models, our teachers and also people who inspire us and give us the motivation to become what we dream.
To me, a wonderful place to imitate and create is school. Not just school, art school. Learn from those you love and admire, and also those you don't. When you learn about things that don't want to make and create, you learn more about what you DO want to make and create.
Taking a journey on a Sunday to the campus of Metro State University, I headed over to the arts building. What a find! A tiny table with a tea set placed on top. This is perfect! What do we do as children when we play 'tea time'? We imitate the adults and want to be like them, because we look up to them. However, this tea party can have all the imaginary guests anyone could possibly think of. This creates wisdom in children before they even know it's wisdom. Imagination, creativity and dreams should never be lost.
"Painting #2
of 3 is waiting for you to find! Come get me!!! Imitation, which is
easiest... we imitate things we love and people we wish to become. So
why don't we have a tea party and dream? Wisdom comes when you imitate
something so much that it becomes a part of you. Only then can you make
it your own and teach the world something new."
The letter:
Quite quickly found by the multi-talented "JP Better Rhymes", who has been after so many paintings in the past. You finally found your treasure. Congrats!
3. EXPERIENCE, which is bitterest.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Experience isn't always sweet, but always something one can savor. A great friend of mine by the name of John-Michael Keyes always says, "We can't choose what happens to us, but we can choose our response."
April 20, 1999 - Columbine High School shooting. Most of you may know, but maybe some of you don't, that I was a student attending at the time and experienced the event first hand. Eating lunch in the cafeteria when it began, and taking refuge in a nearby kitchen office for 3.5 hours with 17 other people. Listening to gunfire, exploding pipe bombs and even fighting to keep the door shut, against the gunmen, with my feet pressed at the bottom of the door while laying on my back...
This has always been a driving force behind who I am today, and if there is anything I can do to add positivity back into the world, I will.
July 20, 2012 - Aurora Theater shooting. I wasn't
there but several friends of mine were, and one did not make it. Alex
Teves. I truly wished to have known him more, but the impact he has made
in his time here is something that will make the world a better place.
When
all I wished to do was help, all I could see was my traumatized self in
their eyes... I became useless and still have a hard time thinking
about that there's more I could've done.
Where to go... We often look to our past experiences for wisdom, and what better past to look upon than the stars? The Observatory.
"For those prepared to hunt this last INDIGO painting, here it is. The 3rd way we may learn WISDOM
is through experience, which is bitterest. Experience, stories,
knowledge and wisdom have been found in the stars above for thousands of
years. Many will continue to study the universe around us and all will
contribute to it through the wisdom of our own experiences. Good luck and
much love to you all."
The letter:
The universe works in mysterious ways, and has the ability to bring people together and connect them in ways that are simply unexplainable. I say this because the finder of the last painting was Alex's love, Amanda who was also there.
Her story is not for me to tell, and her privacy during this great period of healing is needed. However, it's pretty incredible that she's the one who found it. I've always had a heavy heart in trying to find a way to be there for her as a friend, especially having not known her very well from the get go. This finding was so serendipitous that I'm struggling to find all the words to explain what's happening inside my head and heart. All I can say is that she is loved by me and so many others, and what she is now doing to inspire others, is incredible. Stay strong my friend. #365daysofhope
Congratulations @amteves3. This find was just as special to you as it was to me. Much love, always.
Indigo was a blast and I look forward to telling you about the story of #VIOLET in the near future! Only 1 painting remains of violet, and check it out! Gift wrapped for Xmas Day :)
Thanks for all the continued love and support. This, as always, wouldn't be possible with out you all.
Want prints? Stay tuned, as they will all eventually be released at my new Etsy shop: PonderMonsterArt
Until next time, be wise, and happy hunting!
Much LoVE,
-PonderMonster
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