"She was a star in college and she is a star today," I thought. "And, what am I doing with my life?" Within seconds my black tortoiseshell cat, Cinderella, jumped on my stomach and started her usual kneading and purring. Then all of a sudden it hit me: I could sell some prints of my paintings and photographs online! Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Where had this idea come from? Then, I looked up into the most soulful green eyes you have seen. Cinderella was staring intently, deep into my being.

"Could it be?" I asked myself. "This cat was speaking to me telepathically!" I jumped up with fresh enthusiasm and ran back to my computer and logged onto a website that allows artists to sell, advertise, and create prints of their artwork on demand. I was amazed that this idea had suddenly popped into my head out of the pits of my pity party, from the eyes of my cat, and it warmed my heart having the belief that she loved me that much, even in that ugly private moment. Did she really make the connection that I am happiest when I am doing my art?

Once, I was underground in a Manhattan subway terminal and saw a jazz musician holding a sign that said "Art is Life."  Art has always been my life, but what could that mean to the rest of the world? The slogan stuck with me all day. If art is life, then life is art. We need it to breathe. If I am not doing art, I am not living. I think Cinderella understands that.   

A day after my online art epiphany, I saw an elephant painting with his trunk on Animal Planet. He appeared to be truly enjoying himself. They also showed a cat that played the piano while his owner played guitar.  My old childhood cat, Odyssey, was an avid Miles Davis fan, especially the Kind of Blue album.  

There are many great books that have recently come out exploring the phenomenon of animal destiny and how many times it is intertwined with humans. There is no doubt in my mind that all living creatures are connected to one another. Playing and dancing under the sun is not species specific. It is our relationships with one another, whether it is human to human or human to cat, that create fulfillment in our lives. Art is a natural reflection of this.

Marisol Tirelli Rivera