A picture is worth a thousand thoughts

     I have, once again, changed my profile picture on Facebook. I do this periodically, and it's usually my own art. I know I should probably slap my face up there for "truth in advertising" or some such, but, frankly, I don't like most of the pictures of me that I have available on the computer. So, you are all stuck with my art.

     Usually.

     This one is not mine. That is, I did not draw or paint it, though it was done for me. Alas, it's not quite what I wanted, but at least this one person was willing to give it the old college try. At least she captured sort of what the description of it is. That's better than all those people over the last twenty or so years who've said they would draw it for me and then did....nothing.

     Julian had this done for me. He is actually intending to practice drawing the parts to see if he can replicate what I have described to him. That means as much to me as the fact that he's the one that commissioned this piece for me while he was at a 'Con while traveling with Wolfhome Adventuring Outfitters. And, yes, he saw that it was not what I described, but it was the best he'd been able to find as well.

     What it should be: a Chinese dragon, but skinnier and gold; the feet should be on the outside of the ring and much smaller, and its head should be more even with its tail (and also smaller), breathing a huge gout of flame into the circle of its body, with the phoenix rising from that flame and filling the circle of the dragon's body. And the rose should be pointed up, not down.

     I suppose most of this is a stylistic difference but, given the significance of this image to me, that style means a lot.

     I saw this in a vision during meditation many years ago. It symbolizes me in many respects. The aspect of the phoenix describes my early twenties, and the rose comes from the name I was given by my Sifu--Golden Rose--which is, at least in part, a reference to a Bruce Lee quote from The Tao of Jeet Kune Do: The thorn defends the rose/but harms only those who would steal the blossom.

     So this is a picture of me, in a sense. It says a lot about me, but mostly only if you know the stories behind it. While it's not perfect, it's mine.