#1. My Horse Collection

My story: When I was a kid, I was obsessed with horses. Not a liking or a fancy, it was a full-on obsession. Nearly all of my school assignments were decorated with sketches of horses that I had doodled in the corner.  The bed where I slept was surrounded with a plethora of horse figurines that my friends and family had given to me.

I can’t believe I am admitting this to the world, but there were actually days where I woke up and decided that I was going to be a horse that day. Seriously, I would get around on all 4’s, never standing vertically for the entire day! My dad would turn pink with frustration when the only conversation I would exude was a neigh or a whinny. My mom would defend me (to him) as being creative, not strange, and would gently ask if she could brush my mane. 

Here is a classic photo that highlights that time. Yep. I'm saddled up and raring to go!

Later in teen-hood my best friend, Geoffrey, would con me into scooping horseshit and scrubbing stalls in exchange for riding one of his gorgeous quarter horses. He wouldn’t even help! In his defense, he would provide amusing company and play excellent music as I did his chores. Occasionally he would show up on horseback at my house in the middle of the night, leading another horse that I could ride. With his tap on my window, I would slide out into the night, together we would ride for hours under a breathtaking moonlit sky.

This is what my horse collection symbolizes to me.

The truth: I have not even looked at my horse collection for years. Their poor old plastic/porcelain/copper bodies have been wrapped in newspaper, taking space in a box in my basement. They do not represent who I am now - unless you believe Carl Jung. He believed that the horse stands for the mother within us. Even with that belief, I have more significant, living symbols of that trait. Ones who aren’t taking up space in my basement!

My action: I am incredibly pleased to announce that the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center has agreed to take the horse figurines that are in good condition. They will give them to kids with disabilities at the end of their ride as a memento of their experience. They will be adored again, definitely even more, I am so happy!

This probably does not sound significant to most, but it is kind of a big thing to me that I threw out the ones that were broken. There are a lot of things like this that I have that I think will make excellent art projects in the future. I see their potential, but realistically do not follow up with the action of actually doing it. Gone. Released to higher pastures!

My final action is believing my mother. I am creative. 

(I'm not sure why this image is so small, but you can click on it and make it bigger)