Cobalt-blue

Free style colour and photo composition @Maggiehongkong

Do you also go about your day reinventing what you see? Or trying to see the usual, the ordinary through a different angle? This is one take of today, initially photographed only to take notes of the recipes and to remember how I have stored it….The old way, using just another plate on top. No lids, special covers, aluminum or else. The plates are still used to serve, to present and also to cover or keep a dish hot at times.

These two cobalt colour vessels are a gift. Anytime I prepare and I use them, I remember my friends’ gesture and how she noticed I liked them when we were checking a Japanese store. Anytime I set a table and have guests over these are present too and my friends start a conversation around how nice they are , how beautiful the blue colour . I remembered we had some blue cobalt coffee cups in the past, ever so popular in everyone’s houses while growing up. We do not have any at the present and yet the connections we make are simply incredible.

A colour. A dish. Taking us back to so many places and spaces in time.

I love this photo quite a bit for its utter imperfections. You can notice the pepper or salt leftovers on the stovetop. The hero in that moment was the simple act of creation, the simple gesture of taking time to give emotional value not to the taste and the content of the vessels but to the vessels themselves.

The blue cobalt, the emotion holder.

I wonder how is your weekend going?

I have taken a bit of space to take care of myself and took at heart the lovely advice from Julia’s Cameron books. I kept hearing her voice whispering for too long now: “Go on an Artist Date”

This is meant to be a once a week ceremony and creative deep dive to nourish a creator’s inner self. This is not meant necessarily to create, but allowing the creative in you to absorb new things, to imbue oneself intentionally with inspiration.

So, here I am going finally to the M+ Museum to catch the last days of the Picasso exhibition. Hard to believe I did it as I kept dreaming about this for the past four months. As soon as I step into a museum, I hear myself saying: “why don’t we do this more often” “what is so difficult to put this intention in practice”.

Of course,I have no answer and I also do not want to look for plausible explanations.

It was just a thought as the art always captivates me. It has the same healing power as a bold deep colour as the cobalt blue to invite a surrendering. The judgemental thoughts were soon erased by the power of art. The exhibition was a successful blend with masterpieces by Picasso, digital media and also masterpieces by Asian artists. Catching the last two days before Picasso saying good bye to us, there was quite a bit of crowd, many guides explaining art to multiple groups in various forms, one being more ingenious than others. There were sounds of “awwwww”, laughter, questions like”really? I did not know”…and so on. I kept aligning myself to one or other guides in English language ….. and there were few good insights caught as I did not know much. I read books about Picasso in the past, I am sure I have watched some fascinating documentaries too. All was gone from my memory. And, total confession, I love going unprepared to an event like this. I am very very very very fond of the concept of “the beginner’s mind”. I hope I emphasized the “very” well enough.

Thinking of Picasso’s masterpieces I would like to understand more about his approach to “still life” “or “nature morte” (French). This is a short explanation from the M+ Museum.

The Not-So-Still Life
A still life is a work of art depicting an arrangement of objects, plants, or flowers in an interior setting. Studies of colour, shape, and form, they can explore complex themes such as death and impermanence. The term for still life in French is nature morte, literally meaning 'dead nature. Yet Picasso's still lifes do not freeze inanimate objects in a lifeless state; instead, he breathes life into them. Picasso makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar, inviting us to look at our surroundings with fresh eyes.

That is for me a “cobalt-blue” kind of statement and more so a sort of a creative imprint on my retina and captured there deep down in the crevices of my brain I hope. This reveals a powerful emotion that will stay with me for long from now onwards.

On my way to the “Artist Date”, I kept wondering. Who is really our therapist?

An artist and his vision.

A tattoo artist transforming our image of ourselves.

A writer whose books or articles cannot wait enough to devour.

A story teller that we found online and keep listening to her, his voice.

A mother cooking cooking a nice Sunday roast with all her love.

A friend calling in and asking “How about that coffee?” Or how about that music show?

/A storm taking over the island and sending you to sleep much earlier for a well deserved deep rest.

A chat with your far away beloved pets or with your future pet. Yes, I will have one!

A real or an imaginary hug with someone that you know and you have not seen in long time.

A voice message to a friend whom you kept in your thoughts recently and perhaps you were caring. So, why not reaching out to them? It still counts as a therapy even when you are the one reaching out. It is a form of listening to your inner messages and acting upon them.

A bunch of wild flowers. Or all your flowers that you keep adoring from your apartment and kiss them good night before going to sleep or coming back home.

A therapist can be taking so many forms and shapes. If you notice, we have much more than one.

I would like to live you here and think about this emerging theory of the “cobalt-blue therapy” that I just composed here today for you.

And one still life or not-so-still real donkey by Picasso. Au revoir and see you soon.