i spent some time this morning in a vintage globe shop that i happened upon as i drove to the farmer's market. inside the glass door of this tiny corner storefront in my little downtown lives a variety of colorful wee worlds. and andrew. when i arrived, andrew was in the back studio carefully swaddling a giant antique globe in the process of restoration. he invited me back to have a look and so commenced my first lesson in the art and love of the globe.
i felt like i was on the best field trip ever (sans permission slip) as andrew showed me a bit of his process and talked passionately about the history of some of the globes. as he talked and i photographed, he shared that his favorite part of the old globes was where the color is worn from someone touching a location over and over again. erosion caused by fingers grazing a beloved homeland for instant connection or teaching a child about mozambique...tibet...phoenix or dreaming of a faraway destination in wanderlust. i thought to myself, "here is a human being fully alive in his work." it was beyond inspirational.
lately my own work leaves me feeling ineffective. and silenced. i do not believe that meeting andrew today was an accident or happenstance. his love for his work was palpable and an energy i needed to feel. i want that joy in my life. i no longer want to play it small. the color is worn on the place called bigness because i wistfully touch it over and over and over again.
