A Common Desire

Contemporary Pen and Ink Fine Art by Doug Ashby

An all to common theme that we hear about in contemporary society is our current crisis of loneliness. The US surgeon general has declared loneliness as an epidemic of dire proportions. Social Commentator Scott Galloway has made it a mission to address this particular affliction with respect to young men specifically. As an educator of grades 5-8 over the last twenty-three years I have seen first hand how a feeling of detachment has increased and taken hold. In some cases with a vice like grip over many of our most vulnerable. At times it can feel quite horrifying to witness.

While developing my thesis of connection, connection between not just humanity and our environment , but between each other, all conscious beings and so much more, I at times create work that doesn’t at first reveal itself within this story. Admittedly sometimes I make the work I do with just the simple notion, does it look cool. The above work was rooted originally in an idea of detachment. Detachment of humanity from that which gives us life. However in reflection I wonder if there is a broader story that I am tapping into.

I believe there are times in our life when all of is feel as if we have lost connection. That is more than likely a thread that weaves in and out of all our lives at varying points, to varying degrees. Like the tree in the image above all of us have felt uprooted and adrift. However many of us eventually land and have the space, and fertile ground, in which to reestablish that sense of belonging, purpose and connection. Things go astray when for too long the detachment persists and all there is to turn to is an inward world. A world that did not exist through basically all of human history and was sprung upon us by powerful forces before any of us were truly ready for it. In that world the lonely are especially vulnerable. In that world the sense of connection can blossom, but it is a truly false belief. It is that world that I see so many of our most desperate turning to to find something they can hold onto.

So then what can we do? The truth is we have to consciously consider our very own detachments. More specifically how much this holds sway over us. We have to put down the device and get out there in the real world, no matter how uncomfortable that may feel. For the true fertile soil that nourishes our roots is not inward. It is outward. It is in the very messy relationships that are not simply managed and or curated for us. It is in the connection we get when looking directly into a persons eyes while authenticitcally engaging with them. This is an area I truly feel our schools are lacking in. Alas that is for a different time.

When I look at this artwork now I believe it was a response to feelings I had not accurately addressed. I went through a terrible period of loneliness in my life and to cope I turned to vices that were not healthy. I became detached, untethered from what it was that I needed to feed the inner human I am. I may not have truly realized that until this very moment. It’s funny how this thing called life works.

Thanks. I hope you enjoy the art and the writing.

Doug