I’m Deaf.

I have severe-profound hearing loss.

We found out when I was two.

Since then, I have worn bilateral, behind-the-ear hearing aids.

Not everybody notices right away. When they do, it seems to be a bit of a surprise. Maybe they don’t encounter deaf people very often?

One thing I think some people are envious of is that with the flip of a switch, I can have near-complete silence. I have to admit that it’s nice to get up before the rest of the house, pour a cup of coffee, and sit down in my big leather chair and do some writing — in complete quiet.

Quiet is one of those things we pursue so relentlessly. We live in an age where our pocket or purse alerts us constantly of all sorts of updates about everything from social media messages, to weather, to email, to our current bank balance.

Then there are our commitments to bosses, children, spouses, family and friends that are demanding our time.

We worry about the economy and the government and anything else they can find to report about in the news.

Finally there are bills to be paid and repairs to make that drain our pocketbooks.

It all amounts to a lot of stressful noise.

Of course we want quiet!

What we really want is peace.

And buying stuff doesn’t help, no matter what our friends on Madison Avenue tell us.

I don’t have the answer to the noise, but I do know who has the answer.

I have a gift: making visual art. I want to create art that brings a sense of calm and peace, whether it is paintings or photographs like the one above.

Muted colors, simple, un-cluttered compositions, low contrast.

Do you feel peace and calm when you look at it? Or do you feel frenzied?

Do you feel quiet?