In the April 30, 2003 edition of The New York Times, an article, Art Auctions Buffeted by Events, brings up distress sales and thinner catalogs from Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and de Pury & Luxembourg, in what may be an uncertain season—war and a “shaky” economy can also effect superrich collectors and sellers.

Renoir’s “In the Roses” is estimated to go for between $20 to $30 million; Pollack’s well-known drip “No.17, 1949” is expected to go for up to $7 million, plus “Dancer” by Degas may go as high as $12 million. Then, there is a self-portrait by Cezanne (done in 1895 when the artist was 55) that may fetch between $15 to $20 million, which may be a bargain since it had been on the market privately for $50 million.

For the artist, the article, while perhaps factual, is strewn with irony.

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If there is any doubt that culture strives to contain our perceptions, thoughts, and vocabulary, try this exercise.

Choose two words that you use often and go one day without uttering either. You will be amazed at your mind’s desire to continue its pattern, and you will have to catch your tongue often.

The two words I strive to avoid are: hope and wish. While these words are not obnoxious, they add little to one’s declaration.

The point of this experiment is to speak from an original place and to know the true meaning and power of words.

For more about hope, read Trust | Hope | Fulfillment inside the main site gallery.

I had sat down with my cappuccino, took out my drawing pencils and went to work. I was in the Starbucks across from the Beverly Center on La Cienega in Los Angeles.

It was sunny with clear blue skies—a vibrantly beautiful afternoon.

As I began my artwork, I heard someone say: “Excuse me.”

I looked up. A friendly black man looked back.

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Once upon a time, I was in a meeting with the president of a new startup film company.  We agreed to meet in his Santa Monica apartment where he had set up shop before finding a permanent office.

The president, a smooth and likeable talker, told me that years back Rod Serling had leased this very same apartment while he was working on the Twilight Zone series. Now, I don’t believe in ghosts, although I do know ghosts of our making can haunt us.

I thought: Would Rod give me a sign that he was somewhere in this plane of existence?

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If there is any doubt that your eyes can fool you, try the following experiment. Take a ruler with you and look in the bathroom mirror. It seems that the face looking back is about life-size. Now, measure the image in the mirror and you will be surprised. We see what we want to see. It’s for this reason that lawyers love having eyewitnesses to a crime. What you saw can be picked apart until you are no longer certain of what took place.

And if our perceptions of things are in question, there is a larger issue here. No one ever saw anything outside his head. Think about it and you will see the truth in it. Perception takes place solely in the mind’s eye. What appears to be in front of you is taking place within you.

Buddha knew this and saw the maya, or illusion of the world—and in that moment, he was released to experience things as they are.

So, here’s looking at you, kid—with deference to Bogey.