I’ve been nervous lately. I’ve been holding a vision for the past year and it’s time to step forward and act on the vision. Gulp.
Today I saw the movie, A Man Named Pearl. It’s the story of Pearl Fryar, a sharecropper’s son from a small town in South Carolina, who is an internationally-recognized, award-winning topiary artist (he makes trees into sculpture.) He’s had no training, and worked for a local bottling company for 37 years. But somehow, his passion for sculpting trees blossomed despite all the odds against him. His trees are exquisite, and he regularly baffles professional arborists with his designs. His magnificent garden exudes love, passion, and God’s work. Ah, that must be the connection. The lesson is to go with the energy when you feel it. Pearl clearly knows that whatever art he does, whatever notoriety he receives, it is not about him. It’s God’s work, not his.
I’ve never really understood or appreciated topiary art, and that’s why I know this man is a true artist.
