Mona Lisa - Encountering a genie

ML - Welcome to Mona Lisa. A weekly newsletter for artists with timeless quotes, ideas and light bites for curious & wandering minds.

Light bites

🍬 How real precious metals are made into sweets

🎤 On this day in 1992, "I Will Always Love You" was released by Whitney Houston

📖 “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live” - Oscar Wilde

🎶 The world’s oldest song..(listen here…)

Mona’s notes

— I was asked this question by a wandering genie on a dating app. I could not rule out that my answer may actually manifest so I took my sweet time to think about it before replying. 💭 

Initially I thought finding a skill would be easy but cue the can of worms. Firstly I considered portraiture. And then I realised that being instantly good at drawing people would take the joy and intimacy out of learning from looking - something that I wouldn’t want to skip as I’d be intrigued to see my portraits evolve over time.

I then wondered whether cooking was the skill that mattered the most. I could eat well for life, and feel so capable when cooking for others. But I love to cook and I’m already pretty good so maybe it better I choose a skill that I have zero experience in - especially if this genie is going to grant me instant mastery over it.🧞‍♂️

A language? But which one. 🤔 

Maybe maths….it feels mysterious and I always thought of it as a language that may change how I visualise the world 🧮.

I briefly considered the electric guitar, drums, the double bass, archery, dancing and jujitsu before I finally settled on singing. To sing. Ahh when I witness a person singing well, it always triggers this child-like awe in me. I almost always get goosebumps and have an urge to thank them. 🎶 It looks so cathartic and joyful to be able to produce melody just by using your voice. There’s an unbounded purity to it. An accessibility. And then, there’s the incredible joy it brings to those listening.

I was happy with my answer. I replied to the genie, feeling perfectly resolved and half-expecting them to grant me my wish. I also asked what skill they’d select as was curious to see whether there was anything more satisfying to master than singing. A few hours later, still no sign of my inner Toni Braxton blooming, I received their response —

Of course 🙄 And then all I could hear was the gravely voice of Yoda…”Patience you must have my young Padwan”.

It’s all in the journey - make it beautiful.

With love

Mona x

“Do or do not. There is no try.” — Yoda

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