What makes you feel alive?

I have a question for you. What makes you feel alive?

I've been thinking a lot about what makes us as human beings feel alive. One thing is differences. Differences make us feel alive. That's why we like holidays and birthdays. Those days are different than other days. We eat different foods, observe different customs... things that make us feel alive.

Going on vacation also makes us feel alive. Maybe our vacations take us to a different geography, like the mountains or the seashore. Maybe they take us to a different continent, where different languages are spoken and different foods are eaten. Differences make us feel like we are really living.

When you consider collecting art, look for pieces that make you feel alive.

If a piece of art sparks something in you, that's a good sign. It's also a good sign if it intrigues you, makes you want to investigate it further, or makes you want to ask questions. And it's a good sign if you know at a gut level that you simply love the piece.

I love painting things that intrigue me, that heighten my senses and catch my attention. I've always been drawn to botanical shapes that drip... cascading flowers like bluebells or wisteria, trees that weep like willows or birches.

Here's one of my recent landscape paintings, "Under the Willow Tree." I've loved weeping willows since I played under one as a child, and this painting feels like a magical world come to life.

I hope this blog post has inspired you to spend time each day looking for things that make you come alive. Cheers!