26" x 38" Acrylic Medium.
There's a magnificently peculiar story behind this piece.
After posting a few photos of, "The Wolf You Feed" on Instagram, my best friend Victoria said it reminded her of the Two Wolves Tale.
Not having heard about this tale, she sends me this:
“An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside of us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth. The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?
The old man quietly replied, The one you feed.”
Strangely enough, "The Wolf You Feed" was the second painting on this canvas AFTER I decided I didn't like the first painting below.
It's part wolf, part Husky. I did NOT like it so I started over with one wolf instead.
So if you ask me, the Two Wolves Tale is extremely fitting for this creation. What we focus on, we give life to.
We think that dwelling on it will somehow alter the outcome in our favor. That maybe we can change the future on our own if we THINK harder, worry longer, or work faster. And yet all that does is make the wolf hungrier.
It's as simple as redirecting our thoughts, AND as hard as not claiming them. It's both that easy and that hard.
Thoughts will ALWAYS enter our mind, both good and evil, but it's how we choose our thoughts and how we redirect the ones that don't serve a purpose.
In my own life, I've noticed that this is not just a daily task, but an hour to hour battle. I have thoughts pour in that seem so real and so dominating. In some moments, I choose the thoughts that align with scripture. Most moments, I choose what "feels" good.
The battle is not in our world, it's in our minds.
Which wolf are you feeding?
