Parting Glances: All A Matter Of Perspective

My friend Jon Strand is a pointillist artist. His art consists of near-micro dots of ink coloration, layer upon layer upon layer. It's no exaggeration that Jon has dotted in his art career spanning over three decades anywhere from 50 to 80 million dots. (I tell him it's a form of mental masturbation).
Jon's colorful art — many titled with poetic names honoring the Nine Muses of the Arts — are large creations, not infrequently measuring 5 feet wide by 6 feet high.
Jon has had two major exhibitions of his work at the Detroit Institute of Arts — currently owning two of his art pieces — and a major retrospective showing a few years back at the Max Fisher Center in Detroit's Orchestra Hall.
For Jon, making art is an act of intense dedication and courage. Jon has glaucoma and is slowly losing peripheral vision in his left eye. He, his studio, his pointillist techniques, his challenging story, were featured on an NBC-TV Channel 4 newscast.
Challenged? Yes! But Jon persists, encouraged I'm sure by his black Labrador Retriever, Archie, now going on four loyal canine years of admiration and devotion as Jon's apprentice sidekick.
In my own right as a prolific writer/artist, I too am gayly compulsive. Since I started writing my Parting Glances column in 1999 — concise, 150-word review history of important LGBT events in the 20th Century — I have written 785 columns. At 600 words per column, my tally prints out at 471,000 words. That's a lot of verbal wind-sailing, to be sure.
As for creating my own rainbow colored, idiosyncratic art pieces, I now average about one creation a day, with over 1,000 Facebook images in five years. (Recently I was befriended by Tiger Pitcher Justin Verlander. And while I have a gay man's minimalist interest in baseball, football, soccer – his liking my art certainly speaks well of him. By the way: if he has any interesting pictures to share, I'll certainly let my readers know.)
May I herewith put to rest a rumor that – Heaven knows how it got started – has been circulating. Namely: there are no intentional, untoward, recreational phallic images. I do believe, however, that any art creation of mine should be such as to allow a viewer's own creative interpretation to be a valid aesthetic response. (Enough said.)
Truth of the matter is, we live in an astonishing era that permits so many opportunities for being creative on an individual basis, whether with cellphone pictures, Photoshop techniques, computer-enhanced design, music-making keyboard orchestrations, self-published novels and poetry – all with instant sharing. It's creative magic! And also highly competitive.
Here's one of my tried-and-true techniques I use to enhance my own creativity. I call it the "Tell Your Brain Thank You Technique." It's simplicity itself, but believe me – it works. Whenever you begin a creative project, say to your brain, "Thank you for this opportunity for making art – or making music, or cooking, or creative writing! Let's explore!"
When you finish, tell your brain, "Thanks for your extra special input!" This technique also works when your brain is supplying you with information. When a forgotten name is recalled. When a forgotten memory is brought into focus. Or, an amorous, inventive encounter. Say, "Thanks!"
If you're an LGBT person, it's pretty certain you're also creative. Good Gay Genes, as the saying goes. Say thanks. Count your creative blessings. You just might be surprised.