My father passed away on Friday, July 7. He had been in the hospital during the preceding week, which is why I have not published any new posts recently. There is so much I want to write about my dad, but I need some time to process everything. And I can’t imagine writing about anything else right now. I will be writing new posts soon, I hope, but I’m not sure exactly when. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
With love and gratitude,
Alexis
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Find Emerson’s Essays at your local bookstore
Mug available from AlexisScottDesigns on Etsy
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Akrotiri archaeological site on Santorini island in Greece, along with a couple of museums housing works of art discovered at the site. Observing items that were created thousands of years before the common era led me to think about humans’ desire to make art. The pieces on display were not limited to pottery designed to hold water and foodstuffs, nor to religious symbols. There were elaborate wall paintings and meticulously crafted sculptures of animals and human figures. Like other artists throughout history, these people of the distant past devoted time and scarce resources to producing beautiful objects that served no obvious utilitarian purpose. Our drive to make things that we don’t really need is unique to humans and appears to be deeply ingrained. Why do we do it?