An Artist's Life

"Gobi Desert Day 7"

 

Painting is much like running.  You may not always want to do it, but when you do, you become totally immersed and there is an amazing sense of accomplishment when you are done.  Whether putting one foot in front of the other, or brush to canvas, both are moving meditations.


"Gobi Desert - Day 6"

 

OK - You know you are motivated and inspired by the Gobi Desert Expedition when:

1. You register for Ray Zahab's i2P 38km run at Lac Philippe in August 2013 AND
2. You register for the New York City Marathon in November 2013

Ray - I hold you responsible!!

"Gobi Desert Day 5"

 

Day 5 - Ray is now a couple hundred Kilometers into his 2300km run across the Gobi Desert.  Kevin Lin has suffered a leg injury so he is taking it easy rehabilitating so that he can continue on with Ray on the trek.  So far they have been in the grasslands just on the edge of the Gobi Desert proper, and the team is being eaten alive from voracious mosquitoes. As Ray put it, Northern Ontario pales in comparison to the mosquitoes they are encountering in the Gobi. 


"Gobi Desert Day 3"

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right!"  

Henry Ford

Day 3 - Ray ran 60km today. 

"Gobi Desert - Day 2"


Day 2.

Ray and Kevin ran 70km today, proving once again that nothing is impossible.  

I have to say, the i2P team has turned my conceptual framework on it’s head.  When I look at the achievements of this impossible2Possible team, I am completely blown away.  In ten short years, they have created a movement - a revolution of sorts, challenging the status quo, taking personal action, and demonstrating by example,  that anything you set your mind to is achievable.  

You just have to believe!

“i2P - Gobi Desert 2013”


Today, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin started their latest adventure - running 2300km days across Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, one of the most remote deserts on the planet.  To put this into perspective, they will run close to 70km, each and every day for 35 days!  Today was their warm-up day, and they ran 61km through mosquito infested fields, testing out their equipment and shoes.  These guys are absolutely amazing.

What fascinates me about Ray Zahab and the impossible2Possible team is they have total clarity of vision.  They are totally and completely connected with the “WHY”. Why they get up each day and train; why they do all these crazy endurance expeditions;  why they challenge some of the most hostile environments on the planet over and over.  You only have to go as far as the front page of their website to understand their “WHY”. It is three simple words:

EDUCATE
INSPIRE
EMPOWER

And inspire they do. 

For the next 35 days, I will be following Ray’s journey and creating a painting a day inspired by Ray’s expeditions.  The way I look at it, if Ray and Kevin can run 70km per day for 35 days, I can produce a painting a day for each day they are running theGobi Desert.  

Good luck Ray! I look forward to hearing the stories when you get back to Ottawa!