Metamorphic

I have begun a process of radical change. Not so visible from the outside but internally things are changing fast. Metamorphic changes.  

I am jettisoning obligations to help sustain an architectural practice; I am leaving behind the need to spend every waking moment worrying about keeping a business going; I am letting go of worry; I am s l o w i n g down to a pace that reflects my new moods and self-reflection. There once was a day when all of my focus and energy—every single ounce—was spent making sure my company was successful. I dreamt about MSR Design. Every breath was laced with MSR Design in one way or another. Nearly every encounter was a potential connection to the business. I incessantly critiqued design.

Last Sunday, August 7, 2017,  I had my retirement party. Leading up to that day, I was anxious, afraid and not sure that leaving Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. was a good thing. I was anxious that I would not be able to find new bearings in life. What would life look like in the world of post-retirement and post-business? Essentially my anxieties were revealing how much of my life was bound up in the company I founded. Now the day has come to close that door and open another.

It is time to give back. Three years ago we moved to Mexico to live full-time. Since that move, I try to paint or draw every day. My work is centered on processing of dreams and inner feelings about life and, to some extent, what I am reading and thinking about. I am selling the art work with every single penny (or centavo) I earn going to help libraries. See www.schererworks.com for details.

I am also embarking on a crazy journey. I am headed to an Art School in Italy beginning in January 2017. I will be living alone for the first time in 50 years! I will going to classes every day for the first time in 45 years! I will be painting every day. Who knows where this will lead. All I know is that my inner engines are starting up again and I am excited to pour all of my energy into painting and helping libraries around the world. The major metamorphic change, however, will be that my family will now come first.