Grandson, Ford Jones, action shot by yours truly.

Discovering the Art of Life

Lessons Learned As a Beginner Grandfather and Artist

I didn't paint as much as I wanted to this past weekend because we had our grandson, Ford, stay with us. Ford is 11 months old.

Whenever I hang with him, I am humbled by the power of creation and life.

We learn everything in life on the job. Sure, we can watch a webinar, take a course, get another degree, read 10,000 books, watch a bunch of BoobTube videos, and find a mentor.

But we learn the most essential lessons in life by doing what we think is best. I'm learning to be a grandfather and to paint.

I'm a beginner at both.

One of the lessons I've learned over the years is to have a beginner's mind. I take a beginner's mind with everything: I've been a husband for 39 years, a father for 36 years, a photographer since 1977, and a professional writer for decades.

I am a beginner at all.

"In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind, there are few."

— Shunryu Suzuki

The Art of Life