The Rescue Boat

So, the winds of change are blowing me in a new direction today and I am ready to spend some time looking back at my art student years...........

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Ah, what nice advice! Thank you for such an inspiring quote, Mr. Twain!

I don't know about you, but, I have never liked that unresolved feeling from a missed opportunity. In this case, it was in the form of my ship sailing away without me. So, when my second chance drifted up, it may have been smaller and not as grand as the luxury liner I first missed, but, it was just what I had been waiting for! A sturdy and well equipped rescue boat. It did not guarantee that there would be no more rough seas ahead, but, it kindly offered me everything I needed to weather any storms and all I had to do was willingly climb aboard. "Okay, that sounds fair enough to me," I thought. So, I had made a deal with the rescue boat, pushed it off the beach, and hopped right on with a gust of determination in my sails. I was ready this time, and, for quite awhile, it was nothing but smooth sailing.

However, I was eventually reminded of a very well known fact about all boats, no matter their shape or size. They all rock and rocking the boat is not always a bad thing! I have actually found it to be completely necessary sometimes. I am, most of the time, fearless, and, to be honest, safe harbors, are...well...safe! You can't always learn in life if you merely stick to your comfort zone. So, I had to rock it!!!! I threw on my life vest and held on hard as I fell back on my strengths to guide me through the rougher waters.

Up until that point, my style was strictly Fine Arts and I did well in courses like Figure Drawing and Art Appreciation. The rest was completely new to me. So, when I advanced into Graphic Design, Desktop Publishing, and Photography, I had to learn how to infuse my style into these unfamiliar forms, not just well enough to pass the classes, but, to satisfy the high expectations that I had set for myself. So, did I pull through the waves and catch the wind back in my sails?

To answer this question, I actually dug deep under my bed this morning, past the dust bunnies and mismatched shoes, and pulled out my portfolio case. I sat there quietly on the floor and flipped through my artwork with a proud grin on my face. I realized that rescue boat gave me purpose, adventure, confidence, comfort, and, that wind blew a renewed sense of energy right back into me. I did have high expectations and I did live up to them! There was some really good stuff in there and I MADE IT! What a nice feeling it is to glance threw those pages even to this day!

It has not been quite twenty years yet since I boarded that rescue boat and let the warm wind carry me from the safe harbor into the place where I made that artwork, but, a couple of more years are not going to change my mind. I know I explored, dreamed, and discovered life as Mark Twain strongly recommended! The proof is in that portfolio case!

Image Credit: Photographic Print - Rescue Boat, Atlantic City, NJ

By Barry Winiker