The Dali Dilemma

I know, I promised updates, stories and news of adventure….then I dropped off the planet for a few months, but alas, I’ve been busy. No excuses, but here they are anyway: I got a new job, flew home to the States for the holidays on a whim’s notice, returned to start the new job, moved my stuff in from storage after 2 years and found a new flatmate – schwee, it’s allot, you must admit!

So yes, 2015 started with a bang and I’m not getting off the happy bandwagon anytime soon. As for today’s tale, I couldn’t decide which story to tell first so I’m publishing them both in combination as the “Dali Dilemma”.

What does that mean? Well if you know Dali (& WHO doesn’t know Dali?!), he can be described as a man with a very obscure way of looking at the world. Whether melting clocks, meshing multiple images into aligning frames, or even forecasting the Microsoft logo (check out the right side of the Lincoln piece), he is a genius. The ‘dilemma’ side of the story is whether to take a job for money or for meaning, which were my options at the end of 2014. Combining the two, you have a view into two different directions with multiple different outcomes. 

While I was in Florida, my Mum and I had a day at the Dali Museum (the largest collection of his works in the world; if you haven’t been, I highly recommend it). On this particular occasion, there was a special exhibit of Picasso and Dali which simply blew my mind. Both artists, although proven in their field, may not be everyone’s sip of whiskey. But if you see their early works, you know that these men mastered the traditional art forms before moving on to create their own space in time. 

Setting their works side by side, I was mesmerised even more so with Dali and his talent. Dali teetered in life on the brink of insanity yet his art manipulated minds and body to extreme awe of fashion. 

As for my dilemma of whether to take a job for money or meaning, it seems a more simplistic divergent than art or insanity but ultimately the act comes down to options. I gathered opinions galore as I travelled down the road of choices where some said, “Take the money and run!” and others pushed for where they knew my heart was tugging – meaning. 

We all strive to make meaning in our lives and for Dali that was creating masterpieces of art, for others it’s building a family, a few strive to protect our world, and for me, it’s still unknown. What I do know is that I took a year to step out of my life and I didn’t want to just step back in the same one on my return. I felt the red dirt between my toes, I etched the trees in my skin and I built a longing in my heart for something else. 

Dali manipulated a life of oddity, familial stress, and mental angst. In the end, he consistently chose to expand his dilemmas through art. He pushed through the confusion to create wonder and question normality which you can awe at the results for hours. I hope to create wonder in my life and always question what is normal.

A rather odd combination of stories, but alas, it is told. I tied a wish onto the Dali tree outside the exhibit that read, “To see life through new eyes in Dali fashion.” I hope to keep true to that guide. And I’m happy in my new job but will not stop striving for the absurdity of awe.