Author: nstryker
God isn’t magic
God isn’t magic but majestic God doesn’t grant wishes but makes dreams God doesn’t hate your sin but redeems it God doesn’t seek perfection but is perfect God gives you more than you can bear but bears with you
toeing the line
what can i do? when i pulled off the masking, the lines aren’t as clean as i’d like them to be. there’s nothing i can do about it at this point except wait. i can then sand out the sides and repaint them, but that’s going to mean more difficulty down the road. if i…
while we wait
inspiration hit and i’ve been working on some painting in between guitar coats. the sunset concept is finally coming together with this background, though i may continue modifying even after i add some foreground. painting backgrounds first makes for some strange transition moments as a vague silhouette of the foreground takes shape. this is further complicated…
failed song idea
i sing my song for all to hear. although no wretched soul lends ear, my voice is wrought in vacant halls. for i – a bird– have this my call: that though i know i praise in vain i pray it sooth some unseen pain. so when no life or death draws near i sing…
haircut bravery
my son wanted his hair buzzed before graduation. as a laugh, i started by buzzing his hair into male pattern baldness, leaving his long curls on the sides and back. he thought it was hilarious and then surprised me by insisting he keep the haircut. his reasoning was simple: it’s funny it includes a fuzzy…
the gift and the curse
if someone successful tells you how to become successful, plug your ears. if someone unsuccessful tells you how to become successful, run away. they both will immediately tell you about how the successful artist simply tried harder. this is a lie. emily dickenson wrote constantly and submitted her works to publications only to have them…
documenting routine
i feel like i’m stuck in a holding pattern and unless something happens, there’s nothing new or interesting to report here. lately, guitar progress has looked like: paint wait 48 hours sand wait 24 hours find error repeat i don’t know when i escape this cycle, but at least i’m still doing something (most) every…
using protection
there may be a language difference at work here, mr. redman and i are separated by all of america and the atlantic ocean, so if i’m lumping him in with the message about “protecting our kids” i hear a lot of, i’m sorry. this tweet just sparked a lot of thoughts that had been bubbling…
regrets
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this blog
intensely personal, i’ve hated every design for this blog. when i relaunched with the basic theme, my intent was to build towards a grid approach to the layout, working on this between coats of guitar paint. my plan was to use the featured images as background images, but the conflicting priories of placing something featured…
slowing my roll
i have a confession to make: i drive the speed limit. i’m kinda prideful about it, too (why else would i blog about it): when i see someone my age or over that’s driving fast or aggressively, feelings of superiority wash over me. this especially happens in the morning when i see parents taking their…
i think i’m dumb (maybe just happy)
when someone i don’t know thinks an art piece i’ve created is dumb, my assumption is that they think i’m dumb. this is because when i see an art piece that is uninspired or derivative, my assumption is that the artist is uninspired. if i’m being my most charitable self, the person i want to…
i’m just wild about saffron
i just can’t be satisfied. after putting the first layer of color on, i immediately worried if i’d made the right color choice. i kept staring at this photo and wondering if it was too orange. finally, i convinced my family to stop at the hardware store so i could buy some brighter, more purely…