CLOSE-UPS

Hello Friends!

I created these pages last night and thought about what I wanted to write on them this morning. So when I posted these on instagram, this is the message I shared:

These pages are dedicated to Vincent and all of us who have been called “crazy” or have been looked down on because we are “different.” Personally, I am not in the very large group of people who are LGBTQ, but I have relatives and friends who are. I love them for being courageous enough to be who they were born to be in spite of narrow-minded people who abuse and even shun them. Yet I am different in other ways and was made to feel “crazy” most of my life. But CREATIVE and ARTISTIC PEOPLE are not “crazy” or so “different” that those who think of themselves as “normal” should shun us for who we are and what we believe. I think everyone just desires to be loved and accepted for who we are. Love one another. 😀❤

Many think that Vincent van Gogh may have been bipolar. This is a possibility, but we will never know for sure. So why guess? I think he was born with an amazing creative mind and developed a very compassionate heart throughout his life. But so much of society and the more “elite” artists of his day shunned him and didn’t want his art to be shown alongside theirs in galleries, that he was left feeling isolated, depressed, and in despair. How differently his life may have turned out if he had been and felt accepted by those who knew him and saw him sketching and painting every day. But at least he had the support of his brother, Theo.

And how different our world would be if humankind could just accept and love one another for who we are meant to be. So my encouragement to you today is: You don’t have to change your personal beliefs. But be open-minded to those who live and believe differently than you do. Help make our world a better and safer place for us all. Thanks for reading.

Have a wonderful day! 🙂