Post 3: The Struggle
Blog Post: Perseverance or arrogance?
About the year 2000, with the crushing pressure of financial distress and a failed business, Mike’s marriage suffered and eventually ended in the big “D” word - Divorce.
It’s almost as if we could watch the story unfold as if it was read from a book.
Mike believed he could power through this game. I imagine, this is where the arrogance started, he was confident he could handle it. He could “box out” what he needed to and power forward. His job as a successful professional athlete had given him the tools to defend….
Right?
Yet this battle—
against himself—
would be unlike any opponent he’d ever faced.
The stress led to loneliness and increasing alcohol consumption. The vodka filled his silence as social drinking was no longer just social. He was self medicating trying to numb the deep ache of failure and loss.
But his challenges are only just beginning. The rollercoaster of his life will take you on a ride over the next few weeks.
Current Progress
I’ll admit - this is my favorite part. I absolutely love interpreting all of the vibrant colors in the skin. I want you to see the highs and the lows and the grain of skin.
This is only the start of the first layer. There will be more layers. 2-3-4 layers in total.
This has taken me approximately 3 hours.
Intimate feelings about the story
As I mentioned in the previous post, this story has a lot of correlation to my own life. I come from a family of drinkers. I still question my relationship with alcohol and wonder if it’s a healthy one. Some might argue that no relationship with alcohol is healthy. I suppose I am not that “all or nothing” in my thinking. I believe it’s different for everyone.
I drink daily, more than one, less than 6. I am capable of going without, I do on occasion but not regularly. I don’t like drinking at night. I prefer to embibe when the sun is up. I prefer to drink at home because I don’t like to drink and drive. I am a “social” drinker but not excessively.
I don’t hide or sneak, but I do play games. “Oh, I’ll just have a baby one”, that means, not a full shot. My way of cutting back I guess? I don’t black out, I don’t get hungover anymore. In all honesty, I drink a lot less now than I have most of my life.
Should I quit all together? Probably, but I am not ready for that just now. I am still enjoying it. It also helps with the body aches and pains. I do not like to take other drugs and don’t doctor
Ok - that’s enough honesty for now.
About the Painting
Painting the skin sings to my soul. I love using the teeny tiny brush that is the size of a toothpick to put all of these colors in. My colors are a bit too intense and I will tone them down in the next layer but the basis is there. That colors is always under there and effect the next color.
I paint in very thin layers. I’m stingy with my paint. It’s expensive. I don’t like to waste any bit of it either so I only squeeze out a tiny bit at a time. It upsets me when it drys up before I can use it.
What do you want to see? What do you want explained? Comment below.
Collect early - Gigantic rewards.
By being a paid subscriber here, you have the opportunity to collect this work before it’s complete at a price with a HUGE reward. I will progressively increase the price of this work as I tell the story and complete more of the painting. IF you collect early, the painting will still be completed and the story will still be told, but you get to call it “Yours”. You will be the ONLY person to call it “Yours”.
Your purchasing reward will diminish on Sunday. Each Sunday, I will increase the cost of collecting this work.