" An artist imagines beyond the box" : Tal thought and humour : June and Aug 21, 2013

That's Tal's brain there in the left hand corner sending his imagination literaly outside the box and into the sky !

Here are some notes of his on the subject a few months later : 

"I was trained as an artist. I was trained to think as an artist. I haven't changed an inch! 

What is an artist? Thinking creativly and being like an artist ? 

It's being able to imagine beyond the box! 

It is more accepted now.

People that want to be an artist? Encourage them ! It could lead to them being on a Mayor's advisory council or to becoming a General in the new Army." 

This last reference to being a "General in the Army ( "small caps A" per TS )  was something Pop was working on intermitantly. 

Hospitalised in Manhattan, Kansas in the aftermath of his stroke, he spoke daily with his caregivers about his wanting to start what he called the green army which would only do "peaceful" work,   

Artists were high ranking generals in this army. 

With loss of his right parietal,  he offered this kind of wild dream-like  story daily. He may have heard someone mention the nearby base of Fort Riley, home to the "Big Red One" and incoroprated that into his waking conversation.

We knew he wasn't crazy or suffering from dementia, just had loss of the right parietal ! We consider ourselves lucky to have crossed the writing of Gazzaniga that explained this type of brain injury. So many neurologists just write off treatment or help for families dealing with this ! 

And his other admonition of "imagine beyond the box ? That brain sitting in the red cube but still able to soar outside of the constraints of his body and situation ? Beautiful!   

We have this drawing thanks to his caregiver and incredible companion, Jason Tracey. 

- Lissa on this very sunny, bright and dry day in Paris.