When an Artist Heals
I have it in the back of my head at all times that when an artist closes their eyes, they see a world no one else can. It’s an internal collection of experiences, dreams, raw emotions, and manifestations that are just waiting to burst forth. As unique was we are as people, even more so, the artist with the eyes to see.
When I transitioned to sitting at my sewing machine day after day, working at a “job” not unlike one inside a factory, I felt creatively dead. I was making what other people wanted, but I wasn’t making a thing that expressed who I am. It was only after I stood an my umpteenth craft show and someone said to me “I love how you incorporate so much color in to your work,” that I realized my own personal stamp on my business was what people were enjoying most, not the product. It changed my courage, it altered my drive, and it opened a door to my own creative expression that I was not about to close again.
We don’t recognize the courage it takes to create nearly enough. No where near enough honestly. And the universe has been so generous in granting us such talent, its our own neglect not to raise it up. Its the responsibility of every community to bring the creative souls out from the underground and in to the forefront of our individual cultures.
Artistic expression has the ability to speak where words cannot. Artists that recognize our level of talent doesn't dictate our passion have the potential to create a space where people don't need to be good at art to feel free. And when we enrich an environment with not only acceptance but inclusivity and encouragement, we create a system of citizenship where everyone feels purpose and value.
It's not just the responsibility of the artists to expand a culture. We will be crafting and creating whether we're supported or not. It's innate for us. But if you want us visible in your city, if you want us practicing and performing, displaying and demonstrating, you gotta show up. You have to support us. Because we can do great things for everyone. We can bring a city together in celebration. We can fill our neighbors with pride over where they live. We can inspire hearts at any level of emotion. We can break you away from the everyday. We can give a community hope.
We, as artists, can heal.
