The Alchemist - Why I made this Painting Go Past the Frame
Michael Grills
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The first epiphany that I can remember was “that life isn’t fair.” I was 8. And you know what, it’s still true today as it was back then. Sometimes we’re lucky, and sometimes we ain’t. God, if she exists, isn’t there to change that.
The next was that I didn’t know anything about anything. I was 16. And you know what, I still don’t. I know some stuff—a little bit. But shit’s always changing, so what I know today could change tomorrow. If you ask me for advice, there’s always a caveat: "I guess that’s how I see it.”
When I was 18, I learned that a family could love each other by observing my then-girlfriend, now wife’s family. I took that on and made sure my family always felt my love for them.
After that, I read books and absorbed as much information as possible. I realized I could live however I wanted - if I was mindful, so I started messing around with art. I was 20.
Then I realized that some people were just assholes. I was 22.
At 24, after dropping the assholes, I found out you could hang out with whomever you wanted, so I loosened up and partied once a month for three years. It was awesome. Try it. Loosen up.
On our first trip to Europe, I realized that you don’t have to work as hard as we do in Canada to have a good life. You just need a little wine, some relaxation in the afternoon sun and some good people to laugh with. This, at the ripe old age of 27. Working hard and playing hard was no longer my mantra. I just wanted to chill out.
At 28, I discovered the best way to raise children via my wife, through the books she read.
At 30, we made a vision statement for our household: “Safest Place in the World,” and drilled into our kids the mission:
- Respect yourself
- Respect others
- Don’t be an Asshole.
My latest, at the age of 47 (I skipped a few as this is getting monotonous), was that I could slow down and distance myself from the world's ways. Honestly not give a fuck about anything but what matters to me and those closest to me. I experienced an empathy that I had not felt before. I had finally mastered my ego.
I look at those who seem to be struggling and contrast them to those who seem to have it all, and I realize that I love the struggle and the strugglers. I see them differently now. I used to think they had lousy decision-making skills, but I realized that some of us were just trying to make it through the day.
And then I found joy.
Not happiness. But profound joy.
- Joy in the struggle
- Joy in hope for the less fortunate
- Joy in those who took care of others
- Joy in my thoughts
- Joy in my love for my family
- Joy in the life I’d created for myself
- Joy in imperfection.
Alchemy is about becoming somebody better than you were before. And it’s often compared to changing a metal from something basic into something gold.
When you have an epiphany, primarily when you can act on it and change your outlook, it’s like breaking free of the constraints you put on yourself. Who can say where those constraints came from? Instead of thinking about problems, I see life as an opportunity.
So that’s what this one is about and why I painted outside the frame.
I hope you break out of your frame.
