Santa Fe day 2. You know there are times in life when you just feel like you have been led someplace. Put in another way, I sometimes like to think of it like this: at important times in life the solutions to our problems or the direction we need to go in, are put before us. We just need to have the wisdom, awareness and determination to see those solutions or direction. And I don't think it will come to us if we just sit and wait, we need to seek. We need to get out and do, like nike says "just do it". I have come to believe that that statement "can" have a spiritual essence to it as that which we need to experience or the direction we need to go will appear before our eyes.
Today I had such an experience. After washing all of the dust and crap off my car, we went downtown to visit some shops and galleries. First I got shut down by a German guy selling Indian stuff, so we went into a shop so Chuck could look at a gift for Nancy. I got bored in about eight seconds so I went to look for another shop. Of all things, I stopped in an upscale hat shop and asked the proprietor if he knew of some places I could show my work. A wierd looking old guy who I could best described as a very funky and well dressed looking homeless person was sitting in the corner brushing hats (yes I believe his job was hat brusher). He spoke up and said I should go to Madrid, not Spain but New Mexico, about 30 minutes South. It is an artist colony (interpretation: an old abandoned mining town taken over by hippies who long ago decided to actually earn a living). I put the thought in my back pocket and headed to another shop, I went to a place where I had bought a poster three years ago. I asked a very young lady who said she was a co-manager of the store if she would be willing to look at my images. She did and ordered an 11x14 matted and framed print and 10 matted images. I was feeling pretty good so I thought I would go where the real art is: Canyon Road. After getting looked at as if I am some sort of bug by a couple of nose in the air types I thought: homeless dude I'm giving you a shot. So after a great fajita that ended up all over us, it was off to Madrid. We stopped at the first shop we came to and a very nice woman from Louisiana, who is living in the house part of the shop while the owner is away and the shop is for sale, looked at my images and directed me to Jezebels! where the good stuff is.
I know this is beginning to sound a little biblical but bear with me. This Jezebel was a very interesting woman, come to think of it, the biblical one was also. I walked up to a desk where a woman was looking at a computer, nursing a baby, directing men around and talking on the phone all at the same time. I thought "this is some kind of Jezebel". She has an easy , straightforward and assertive directness about her and can't be more than in her early thirties. I liked most of the art in her gallery and I think there is only one other photographer there. We spent about an hour together and she took two framed and matted images and ordered 5 more unframed. She said she was going to clear one short wall for me. This is where I had been led, by homeless dude, Louisiana woman and a higher power. I again feel very humbled. I have packed so much in one week, I don't know where I can go from here. But I have faith. Jon