“

re·sil·ience
riˈzilyəns/
noun
noun: resilience; plural noun: resiliences

1.
the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
“nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience”
2.
the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

I read last night that resilience is one of the best predictors of a successful life. How we handle getting knocked on our ass says a lot more about our character than anything else. I also read that resilience can be taught. We can get a handle on this skill even as adults. Cool huh? It isn’t one of those traits that is hard wired. If, when challenging things come our way we simply ask, “What can I learn from this?” It changes our whole story. We are on this planet as students—we have to keep seeking to understand ourselves, our family, friends and colleagues.

This painting was one I kept working and working on. I sanded too much. The shape was nothing like my sketch. It made me mad. I left it, but couldn’t leave it alone. I kept with it and I ended up finishing it with a waxy product I found buried in a drawer. In my studio this piece represents resilience to me. I will now be more mindful of asking my tribe and myself—What did you learn?