The Love Sign Started the Whole Thing!

Juno had the hankering for some more dark red accoutrement for her already kickinly atmospheric bedroom. So my fashion conscious daughter and I went down to the thrift store; I patiently wandered around Village Merchants on Division and 41st in SE Portland not looking for anything in particular, supporting Juno in her bedroom accessory gem search. An eclectic blend of retro, cabin chic and mid century modern filled the place and I was curious about the stories associated with each second hand item. I fingered the photo books, and a dance stool that said “all that jazz” caught my eye. There were some orange parts boxes, the same size as mine which had been stolen along with all my other tools, earlier in the year; I would be buying those. I was cruising, mildly entertained, easy with my beautiful daughter’s selection process. She had good taste, and knew exactly what she wanted when she saw it. It was a pleasure to shop with her. And I had been taking photos of “found hearts” for over three years since my Beloved was a two hour and fifteen minute plane ride away. Hearts and all things love always caught my eye now. Sometimes I bought them but mostly I just took a square I-phone photo of them and texted the image on. As I was slowly walking the thrift store’s tawdry aisles and thumbing through bric a brac, I came across a borderline, (okay fully), cheesy steel square foot of a sign spelling the word LOVE. A kind of classic item for a thrift store. The font was a retro-contemporary times-Roman without the serifs. Steel alphabets of this type were current and trendy at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Shapes all set up for someone’s 1980’s kitschy den TV play room. The hollow letters had been welded adjacent with a sturdy pair of steel rods; L O V E. I briefly picked up the 19” long x 8.125” tall ensemble. And I put it quickly back down, really, not seriously considering it. I was secretly hoping no one I knew had seen me open my mind to this back-rack odd and end. I strolled on... and through my family heritage’s firmly established code that such an item was indeed for “trailer dwellers” and “born agains” I judged the assembly right along with a velvet Elvis painting. 10 or fifteen more minutes went by as I amused myself in anticipation of Juno’s readiness. She had a lamp and some shoes, a cut off cardigan and some fake flowers, along with a little cabinet. “Can I get it all dad?” how much is it all; I said? “24 bucks” she replied sheepishly. I looked at her lovingly and amusedly; I said; “of course”. And Juno replied enthusiastically; “thanks dad”, glad for my apparent high generosity! I love beautiful good shopper Juno so much, and she’s a humble pragmatist to boot. It’s never a big bill with her and I’d gladly pay triple. I had grabbed the parts cases, picturing the three orange trays in my all white work trailer; they would be a jarring constant down-reminder of the theft, and a sweet constant up-reminder of my day out with my lovely daughter. Juno went ahead. She laid out her things as I explained to the check out lady that I would pay for all of it, along with a book I’d found, Think and Grow rich by Napoleon Hill. A book with my name on it as I was hot on my quest to find just the right work. It came my turn; as I laid my three orange trays and my couple of books down, suddenly, as if someone was at the back of my neck with their hot breath and booming voice, the voice fair spat; “go back and get the LOVE sign and buy it”. I literally turned around to see who had said that. It then occurred to me that it was my own inner guidance. The one inside me who has been turning ideas around and around in search of a better life, and a more precisely aligned work for myself. The one who knows the right answer, all the time; “Go back and get the LOVE sign and BUY it, NOW”. “Okay, Okay”, I said audibly, “I’ll do it”. Juno and the proprietor waited, curious for my return. I returned and set the love sign down. “Oh my god dad, you really are a hippy”! Juno half seriously half jokingly rolled her eyes at me as only a 15 year old who does love you can. “What are you going to do with it”; she said? “I have no idea” I said. More eye rolling...

And so the LOVE sign entered my life. I looked at it for months, there on my bedroom floor, wondering at my guidance’s wisdom… And only after I had done Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” process did I get it. The love sign it turns out, is my nexus, my focus. I realized that I have naturally and spontaneously written about love for 40 years. Relationships of all kinds interest me endlessly. And as I started to feel my way back to my ideal artistic expression, I realized it had been with me all along. I realized I loved love itself, in all it’s nuance and detail. In all it’s torturous pain and ecstatic joy. The topic thrilled me. I loved the process of refinement with self and other. I realized that I loved all things related to deep relating. Heck I realized that I now had over 600 “found” heart photos! Me and the love sign already had a bond before I’d found it, before I bought it. Through Julia Cameron’s process I had discovered what had been with me all along!

The love sign has become a locus, my touchstone, a foci for getting a love topic essay going. It has become a place where my curiosity comes to the surface and speaks a clearly framed narrative. It provides the antenna for a creative download to come from source. I didn’t think like this is the past. Source? I didn’t use this language. But a thousand conversations later with my spiritually plugged in Beloved had shown me that creative inspiration has always been this way. It comes like the wind from out there and one has to be ready, or it blows right on by! But now I have my antenna!

And so dear reader I am newly paying attention at a whole new level. Tuned as it were for my artistic instructions.

What you see in this photo is the box I have made to carry the LOVE sign, eventually, all over the world. Its been a few domestic places so far. And there is great fun, learning, and humility in asking folks in the public world to participate and be photographed. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has their own unique stories about love. I am here to tell those stories.

Thank you,

Andrew

Thelovesignblog.com