Connect

Summer means a lot to people, usually for reasons that differ from person-to-person. Some get that break from school or vacation time rolls up. BB Q's and water based social gatherings. It's summer time fun.

For a few friends of mine, it's a season filled with conventions, heading out with their art on displays, selling prints, talking to fans of their work. I know its not something many people know about. But the reason for today's blog focusing on what the convention season is all about at its core: connecting in person.

We're beings that are pretty much hardwired for relationships with others. Connecting, whether through mutual appreciation of ideas or interests, romantically, or through conversations, its kinda something that we need to properly develop and become what we were made to be. At these conventions, artists meet the fans who have connected to their livelihood by buying their books and passing along word of their talents to others. An artist can connect faces to the people who make their talent a viable means of life. Its interesting to observe the way in which many of them are so friendly and eager to hold conversations with aspiring artists, admirers of the craft, or even small kids who are only partially intrigued by what they're doing with that pen and paper. You get a sense that the importance of the conventions are more about that than even the art and, maybe, some would highly agree.

I've found that connecting with people is an easy and extremely difficult thing. Its a joy and a horror, depending on several factors. Yet, despite its duality of tones, we still ALWAYS, in one way or another, SEEK it out. We gotta have it, so-to-speak. Its not always words. Sometimes its actions. Whatever it is, man, do we need it. Just as it makes an artist feel that his hard work and long hours are worth it for every person who comes up and wants to shake their hand, we love when a connection happens. It ignites something that hardly anything else in life can.

...God is all about connection. Just like you enjoy visiting friends, hugging them after years, getting to see the look of the smile you've heard to your jokes via the phone...God longs for that same thing with you. When you can walk up to his table, look at the art he's made in this world and tell Him how much you dig his style or want to shake His hand out of respect.

The Bible tells us we're made in His image so, no wonder we long for connection with people. He made us to have relationship with us. Trippy, yeah, but, when you think of walking over and introducing yourself, showing off your latest creation, sharing a song, or get a greeting or exiting hug from a TRUE friend, take a second to realize that when you connect, that's a trait God shared with us of His.

Think about it...

- Conduct Lionhardt