(Another play with words. It’s much easier to express myself this way nowadays. LOL)
Anger. Hurt. Bitterness. Joy. Peace. Surrender. The artist stares at the canvas in from of him, unsure of what emotion he wants his painting to convey. The colors in his palette seem to suggest that he should let out dismal negative emotions, yet something in the artist’s heart tells him that he should express otherwise.
Minors. Majors. Sustains and Augmented 7ths. The musician sighs as she gently strums her guitar. She is
uncertain. She has a melody in mind, even words that would probably go well with that melody, but the song might sound too sad, too melodramatic. She’s content with the melody. But the verses – even the chorus – they seem too heartbroken. Deep inside, she wants the song to somehow convey a message of
hope, a message of love and joy, but every time that she would open her mouth, the only words that would come out are words of loneliness and extreme heartache.
Tension. Suspense. Light and easy reading. The writer is trapped. In front of him is a gigantic writer’s block. He is lost for words. Scratch that. He has a dictionary full of words waiting to be let out but he still can’t decide on the theme for his story. He’s tired of sad endings, but on the other hand, he can’t seem to
get himself to write a story that would end up happily. He’s too depressed for that. But a voice tells him that he should attempt to write one with a happy ending. But how? How, when the words running through his mind are “sorrow”, “melancholy”, “misery”, and “discontent”?
An artist, a musician, and a writer. All faced with a common dilemma. To go with what the situation tells
them to do or to go with what their heart tells them to do? Going along with the situation is easy… but following their hearts…? It would be a painful process. How on earth would the artist paint a picture full of joy when his palette contains colors which are anything but joyful? How can a musician create a song of hope when all that she can feel is hopelessness? And how can a writer write a happy story when the only words that he could muster up are words of discontent? How?
The artist has decided. It won’t be easy, but he gathers all his creative juices, puts his imagination at work and starts painting. He smiles as he sees the colors slowly blending in with each other. He paints painstakingly, making sure that the resulting picture will be one so full of joy, one so full of peace, one so full of happiness. He steps back and admires his work. He has done it.
The musician lets out a breath of determination. Surely there must be a fragment of joy hidden deep within her broken heart? She searches the deepest part of her soul, of her spirit and begins to sing. Slowly, her words blend in with the melody and a love song – a song of hope – begins to take shape. She continues, strumming her guitar with a renewed heart, and glows with life upon the completion of the song. She is more than satisfied.
The writer stands up and smashes his writer’s block. He goes back to words he has learned long ago, words like “bliss”, “good cheer”, “happiness”, and “content”. Slowly, his story begins to take shape. Slowly, his characters find themselves in a moving and inspiring plot. The writer rereads his finished draft and makes a few corrections. But his lips are curling up as his eyes run through the page. He has broken through.
The artist, the musician, and the writer have all been able to do it. If these people were able to do it, so can we. So can we.
Written at: ICS C-117
scribbles and stories 