About those Unfinished Drawings
By Nana Dadzie Ghansah
My daughter once auditioned for a Program for Gifted Young Visual Artists. Besides her portfolio of images, she also had to undergo an interview. Then all the kids were headed into a large studio and had to complete a drawing. They did not know the theme till they were all settled in and it was announced and they had 90 minutes to draw.
The theme that day was “Stilllife” and there was an arrangement already available for them to capture. At the end of the 90 minutes, each of the kids handed in their drawings, completed or not.
When I went to get her, I asked her if she had completed her drawing. She had not. I sought out one of the program coordinators and asked what her chances were since she did not complete her drawing. The answer calmed me down.
They were not really looking for a completed picture but technique — pencil strokes, ability to shade well, contrast, shadows, highlights, patience, attention to detail…stuff like that. Then ultimately, it was the technique that decided the quality of the finished product and they needed to find out where each kid was in terms of technique.
The explanation made sense to me and warmed my heart. I knew my baby stood a good chance. Like most experiences in life, I filed that away.
Then after the tragic events in Calabasas, CA this past Sunday involving Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, the Altobelli’s (John, Keri and Daughter Alyssa), the Chesters (Sarah and daughter Payton), Christina Mauser and the pilot, Ara Zobayan, I found myself thinking often of that day and the unfinished drawings.
Death always reminds us of how fragile life is and the demise of these nine people in that fiery helicopter crash just brings that sad fact home.
Of all the victims, the most famous is Kobe. I have been a fan and an admirer forever. His hard work, drive for excellence, curiosity, creativity and the family man he had become were things that I found so precious. He was a picture of strength and life and so when I heard he had died, my first thought was, “That is not supposed to happen! People like Kobe are not supposed to die this young!”
Yet dead he was! He, his 13-year-old daughter and 7 other souls! Then Death does not care who or what you are.
Since his death, athletes, celebrities, statesmen and everyday people from all over the world have expressed how much his life had affected them positively.
Kobe’s 20-year stint in the NBA was illustrious — 5 championships and a number of MVP awards. In that time he also won two gold medals playing on the US Olympic Basketball team. So even though he died young at 41, he died really accomplished. Even though he still had a lot more he wanted to do, Death had other ideas.
When Death yanked the breath of life from his bosom, he left behind a life that any man would be proud of. He was in no way a perfect person but he made the most of his time on this earth and that is really all that Life asks of us.
Not many of us can achieve what Kobe did but realistically, it is not the accomplishments per se that matter. It is the mentality, the habits…the techniques.
Like my daughter and the other kids at the audition, Life gave him a canvass and the materials to draw. Only this time, he did not know how much time he had. And when Death unceremoniously ended his life, his drawing blew us all away. The techniques made us gasp in wonder.
Life is really a blank canvass upon which we are asked to draw. There is no theme. We get to pick. However, like the conditions at my daughter’s audition for the Art program, there is a time limit and when that time is up, it does not matter if one is done or not with one’s life’s drawing — Death just yanks life away!
At least during the audition, my daughter and the other kids knew how much time they had. In life, Death does not give us that luxury — a week, 10 years, 40 years, 90 years? Who knows? Grim as he is, Death can reap each life anytime. So as the hours turn into days and the days turn into years, what does your drawing say about you?
Lucky are those who leave believing that they finished their life’s drawing. However, even if one is not done drawing, the technique shows. The effort one has put into the sketch will be evident.
Whereas artists have to show pencil strokes, the ability to shade well, contrast, shadows, highlights, patience, attention to detail etc., the techniques needed for life’s drawings are different. They encompass things like empathy, the way we treat others, whether we love our families, give our all, encourage others, work hard, strive for excellence, are honest and honorable. We all cannot win championships but we can feed the hungry, warm the cold, console those who mourn, support the sick and encourage the weary.
Those are the techniques that will show up in that drawing of life, the habits that others will remember us by, even if Death cuts things short suddenly.
Life is indeed fragile and death can be sudden and once it is gone, it is gone forever. Like Homer wrote in “The Iliad, Book IX”:
“But a man’s life breath cannot come back again — No raiders in force, no trading brings it back, Once it slips through a man’s clenched teeth.”
So let us use the time we still have to work on our life’s drawing so when we are no more, it depicts the techniques we want posterity to see and be in awe of. So that even if we do not finish our life’s drawing, we will still be proud of the sketch. And if perchance we get the chance to look upon what we have left behind and listen to our tributes from the Great Beyond, we will be filled with pride and joy.
