Got into a brainstorming discussion with my wife this morning. It got me thinking about what it is I do. It has become clearer to me now that I’m not really a martial artist. I’m just a plain artist. Someone trying to express himself without embarassment and chaos. Here is what is understood in the heat of the discussion that I had to stop and write it down on my whiteboard.

My art is to use martial arts as a vehicle to deliver a message to people that enables them to do anything they want. I do this through empathy. I am a father, brother, veteran, husband, friend, enemy, laborer, lover, sufferer, teacher, student, etc. I speak on those planes. I just happen to punch, kick, wrestle and swing a stick. It is my way of showing people how to express themselves and work toward refinement.