It is all about connections. The overriding need to connect is the problem. Why is it that we do not come together in agreement easier? It seems to me, that we as a people are so doubtful of our power to communicate, in such a hurry to get to where we think we must be, that we make war with one another over our differences, "Here I am, why don't you get what matters?"

So I slow down, confront that neediness to connect by being a weird duck and require space, some privacy. I find that connection with myself in the solitude of my studio, my creative space, the vacuum of my mind, and in meditation. What comes up proves fruitful, new inspiration from that black tunnel of the unknown. I throw light on it, attempt to see it real enough to make the effort to bring it into my world of touch. When I'm done I reach out to connect in hopes of acceptance, reaction, some reverberations, for conversation and perhaps communion. That is when I really show up.

I do want to see another, take some time with them, hear what they say is solid, and real. Listening, I find me reflected in their eyes. Together I realize I'm not so hungry after all, not so needy, or so speedy. I open.

What is it that touches you? What inspires you to create, to make a difference in your world, to reach out with your work? What drives your eagerness to communicate, to share your world, your desires with those of another? What is it you want to do with your time, with your energy? Do you require help to question what you can't find on your own? Or is it to simply share in this mystery that surrounds us?

These are my concerns. Are they any different than your own?

- James Maxwell