Thursday, August 14, 2014

Soul Sustenance: Shoes - a Metaphor for Creativity

I looked at the floor of my closet and started thinking of the variety of shoes I own. My shoes are not lined up in neat little rows, or stacked on shoe racks in any kind of order. My shoes are a mass of colors and styles all jumbled together in a pile.

I started to wonder about what this says about me and the how I walk in the world. Does this pile represent my many paths and roles?

In a single day I am a teacher, a student, a musician, an artist, an author, an illustrator, a wife and caregiver, a mother, a landlady, a decorator, a chauffeur and a fashionista!

I change my shoes as often as I change my roles;
- black strappy sandals, adding sex appeal to a simple black dress;
- a tall clog creating the illusion of height or with pants that would be too long otherwise;
- flats to wear when I practice piano and need to flex my foot on the pedal;
- flesh colored wedges to blend with my legs and give the appearance of no shoes at all;
- tennis shoes for times I occasionally get the urge to work out, or ride my bike;
- the very amazing boots, that I like to wear with leggings and a long top, and;
- wedge tennis shoes, that look oh so urban, with just about anything.

I contemplate the pile of shoes I own and wonder if I should straighten them out for a more organized approach to my process through the day. My husband complains that he trips over them as he enters the closet. I know it would make great sense to straighten the rows with matched sets of shoes together, but I resist, and secretly like the chaos and challenging approach to my shoe collection.

I don't want to be restrained on my path in life, and my path in creativity, so I take the less organized and spontaneous path keeping my shoes in this pile. I think the pile looks interesting. I like the juxtaposition of shapes and colors. I think about each shoe as they interact with each other, and it keeps my approach to shoes fresh, and my approach to life adventurous.

Guest Post: Joyce Fishman, Author & Illustrator www.shoebanter.com

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