The drawing of the delphinium was inspired by a musical performance I attended of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden by the New Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco back in 2015. I was floored by the performance. It was in a small space where you almost feel like you are seated right next to the musicians. 

And then the music...I’ve always had a strange reverence for late Schubert works. He made the most beautiful music in the last years of his short life (he died when he was only 31 years old!). How could he create so much beauty while his health was declining AND while knowing he was nearing the end of his life? 

When I got home and tried to think of what my daily drawing would be that day, I did an Internet search for flowers and devotion - because I was searching for a flower that could capture the devotion I felt Schubert must have had in those final years of his life. Instead, I came across a description of a delphinium connecting it to the concept of infinite possibility which made sense to me given the ‘infinitely’ blooming flowers that seem to fold into each other on each single stem.

And that was the moment that I realized what I admire the most about artists like Schubert - really, artists like each one of us has within us - is that when we are willing to go to the places that no one imagines is possible - those places that you can only get to when you are willing to accept and even explore the uncertainty that surrounds you, we end up expanding what is possible for everyone else - because we made something that was once out of reach or incomprehensible, possible. 

And so I found an image of a delphinium flower and I’m not exaggerating - it flowed freely out of my hands and I drew it in less than 15 minutes. It makes me think of this quote by Joseph Campbell about following your bliss.

This is a special drawing for me because it was made from a place of bliss. And I often see it when I see your reaction to it. It’s like something was captured in this drawing that reaches beyond our individual experiences. It creates a moment where we know and sense the beauty and power of what is really possible in our lives. That truth is revealed to us and we share the experience even if it’s only for a fleeting moment.