Fritz Scholder was and is an inspiration for me...I first read about him and saw pictures of his work when I was a teenager. He was a Shamanic Artist, and he painted some very powerful works. I just saw several of his paintings in Santa Fe, and they really get to the core of your soul...they shake you, stir you up, and make you want to move forward on the Path of a shamanic artist....

I wanted to post the below, because they are his words...and I think they are inspiring and can apply to everyone. Check out some of his work at Fritz Scholder

Fritz Scholder made the following remarks on May 11, 2002, in a commencement address for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma.

I had packed my suitcase the night before. So, early on the morning of September 11, I was dressed, waiting for a car and driver to take me to the airport. I had a ticket to Washington, DC, where the next day I was scheduled to meet President and Mrs. Bush at a White House reception for artists. It was the Millennium Project: Gift to the Nation.

I had not turned on the television that morning. The car arrived and we headed down the street. A few minutes later, I asked the driver to turn on the radio and we heard the news. We turned around and headed back to my house.

For the next three hours, I sat in front of my television. I saw the most horrific and surreal images in real time over and over and then I turned it off. Any more looking, for me, would be masochistic. I had to make myself happy. I went to a movie.

That helped a bit.

I then realized that a new Bob Dylan CD was coming out that day. So I bought it and returned to my studio. It was good, but depressing, so I went to the market and bought some orchids. That afternoon, I started a Flowers Series of paintings.

I am still painting flowers.

I tell you this story regarding my personal reaction to September 11, for I am a natural optimist and on that day, which has changed everyone in the world forever, I had to produce something civilized and universal with classic form and pure color.

Attitude and approach will color you life. For me, it is the act of producing a work, which hopefully will outlast me and will be seen by my grandson years later.

Picasso once said, "Art is a lie, which forces one to realize truth." Gertrude Stein, the famous art patron, asked Picasso to paint her portrait. When he showed it to her, she said, "That doesn't look like me." Picasso replied, "It will."

Art and religion are the two constants inthese strange days of terror. The artist as shaman is more important than ever.

You must be yourself on purpose. First, find out who you are and fully accept it. Fall in love with your life and live your life with finesse and manners. Be a role model for yourself, and many will be influenced. To truly keep something, you must give away.

Remember the paradox. Beware of progress, a myth made false by the true lies and factoids of our history. Like the Greek mask of tragedy, man's excellence is equal to his most tragic flaws. Are we the best and brightest, watching our planet dimming? The cybernetic age challenges each of us. The digital landscape quakes. Overpopulation and disease run rampant. The battle has begun between the shaman/artist and the cyber/technocrat. We are living at a place of crucifixion in a crossroad of time. Opposites cross. Polarities collide. Industry and technology have succeeded for two centuries by moving in complete indifference and denial toward nature.

Reinvent yourself with every day. Each day can be a new adventure in your quest for truth.

Discover yourself. Travel. Sensibilities change dramatically by placing yourself in a new location; an unknown street in your own home town or in front of the Sphinx. Learn to write well. Learn to read well. Learn to listen and speak well. Keep a record of your time. Learn the rules, so that you know which ones to break. Remember, freedom is not free. To be free rests in our ability to mold our thoughts. Learn responsibility. Establish priorities. Learn your strengths and especially your weaknesses. Know what you want from life so that you may attain it.

Banish greed and help your friends, town and country. Be more thoughtful, understanding and kind. We are all in this together. And do all of this with love and intelligence and most of all with passion.