A Stroke of Inspiration (Sea Fiction)

This story takes place in the depths of the ocean, in a community full of algae where swordfish abound, which shine with their long and sharp noses, sharp and of a metallic blue color, which shine silver when the rays of light hit them in a certain way.

The landscape is full of corals of different colors, clownfish, rocky and even there is a ship that at one time ran aground on the coral reef and has now become the habitat of all these animals. North of this ship, near a coral bank where we can see seahorses and Mr. Stonefish, we find the protagonist of this story.

There is Mr. Harry Eel, an elderly eel with a tie and a red beret, in a semblance that makes us remember a Parisian artist. He is giving some strokes and some paint stains with his tail on a shell canvas, trying to paint what is inside his soul, trying to express all his art.

And at the moment when he chooses a color and imprints it with his tail on the canvas, he realizes that it was not the one he wanted and a flashback comes to his mind. We then see him appearing in school in his early days, when he was learning, in the same situation painting a tree with great enthusiasm.

He tells the teacher: "Teacher, I finished my painting." And the teacher, in a very cold tone, tells him: "What you have done is not art, it looks like it was done by a fish that is intoxicated."

Mr. Eel, who was a child at these times, felt really frustrated because the teacher told him that what he was doing was not art. Many years have passed since then and he has become a grumpy eel that tells everyone that he is not an artist due to the frustration and what this starfish teacher told him in his childhood.

However, he approaches returning there to the present to a friend of his named Jaime, the swordfish who is currently the tax collector of the area. Jaime immediately sees the masterful canvas that Mr. Eel is making and tells him impressed: "Wow, what a beauty of paintings you are making." Mr. Eel immediately tells him: "No, I am really a failure, this is garbage." The swordfish withdraws, leaves thinking about how he could help his friend and thinking that he could have a great business.

He immediately comes up with the idea to put on an art exhibition. He does, organizes with all his contacts an exhibition that is going to be held in the shipwreck. There they set up all the paraphernalia, all the canvases and take the different paintings of Mr. Anguila. They make the respective presentation with a welcome party and all the fish recognize the work of Mr. Anguila and finally tell him that yes he is an artist.

At the end, Mayor Calamardo of the seven seas awards him a medal and recognition as the new art director of the seven seas.

From this moment on, Mr.Eel stopped feeling frustrated and stopped having that feeling that he was worth nothing. He began to create new canvases that flourished with his art and illuminated the whole area with color and joy. Each of his works transmitted motivation and desire to live to the whole neighborhood and to all the seven seas.

This story shows us how with a little motivation and help from a friend or a known person we can always move forward. It highlights the value that friendship and motivation have to always help us overcome difficulties.

I want to make it clear that the moral that the opinion of others should not define the value of each one as an artist. We must create art because it makes us feel alive and because it allows us to connect with ourselves and express everything we feel.
Especially, a negative opinion of others does not define the intrinsic value of our art. Our art already has value in itself and, as I said, it allows us to feed our creative souls and connect with others. But in the end, art speaks for itself and defines us.

This has been my story for today and I hope you liked it.