A Word About Creative Expression
While I know that this post will be Carrie Bradshaw-ish, I'm going to post it anyways, because I liked Carrie Bradshaw and because I've recently realized that I don't share much with you other than book stuff. So, to spice it up a bit, this post is more about a couple of observations and a philosophy on what I've observed.
I went through two synchronous experiences recently in that they both involved creative expression. Unabashed self-expression is something all artists strive for. It is the reward, the gold we find when we open that treasure chest we call a laptop, or paint brush kit, or chiseling pouch, or whatever the artist's respective tool might be. We put aside social norms, fear of reprisal, and simple, plain-Jane ego in the hope of creating something outstanding, breath-taking, something that makes people pause, blink, and mumble, "Wow." These are the moments we hope to give the world, a little piece of us, a stark, lay-it-all-out-on-the-table representation of who we are inside. And it isn't easy. Putting our work out there for the world to scrutinize puts us face to face with our own insecurities, our own shortcomings. So, when I created something from scratch this week that didn't involve the written word (which was my Synchronous Experience #1) I paused, blinked, and mumbled, "Wow", because I didn't know I had that kind of flair inside me, and to be honest, I didn't think it would be so colorful…
I like what I created, even if it burns the retinas, but I didn't intend to share it with you until encountering my Synchronous Experience #2. This came when I overheard a conversation between three women discussing one woman's choice to wear a purple hat with a yellow dress. Two of the women were forthrightly explaining to the third that it was against fashion, social norms, God himself, to wear that purple hat with that yellow dress. And I thought to myself, "Do it. Wear that purple hat. If that's what you feel comfortable in, if that's the style you want to express yourself through then by all means do it!" This woman wasn't hurting anyone by wearing that hat. She hadn't killed an animal and slapped a slab of fur over her head. It was a hat, made of synthetic fibers and thread. Okay, so it didn't color coordinate, or even coordinate with the style of the dress, but it was her expression of self that made her put that hat on in the first place. And I, for one, applaud her.
So my philosophy is this…we should go ahead and show off our artwork, blindingly colorful paintings, purple hats and all, because it's a part of us. And we have a right to express ourselves. This is our life, not theirs. It's our journey, our reward, our treasure. We should enjoy being who we are because each of us is unique, and individuality is a wonderful gift. So start that first novel, streak a vibrant band of yellow paint across that blank canvas, or carve into that fresh block of clay, or even, for the really ballsy women out there, go right ahead and wear that purple hat.
I went through two synchronous experiences recently in that they both involved creative expression. Unabashed self-expression is something all artists strive for. It is the reward, the gold we find when we open that treasure chest we call a laptop, or paint brush kit, or chiseling pouch, or whatever the artist's respective tool might be. We put aside social norms, fear of reprisal, and simple, plain-Jane ego in the hope of creating something outstanding, breath-taking, something that makes people pause, blink, and mumble, "Wow." These are the moments we hope to give the world, a little piece of us, a stark, lay-it-all-out-on-the-table representation of who we are inside. And it isn't easy. Putting our work out there for the world to scrutinize puts us face to face with our own insecurities, our own shortcomings. So, when I created something from scratch this week that didn't involve the written word (which was my Synchronous Experience #1) I paused, blinked, and mumbled, "Wow", because I didn't know I had that kind of flair inside me, and to be honest, I didn't think it would be so colorful…
I like what I created, even if it burns the retinas, but I didn't intend to share it with you until encountering my Synchronous Experience #2. This came when I overheard a conversation between three women discussing one woman's choice to wear a purple hat with a yellow dress. Two of the women were forthrightly explaining to the third that it was against fashion, social norms, God himself, to wear that purple hat with that yellow dress. And I thought to myself, "Do it. Wear that purple hat. If that's what you feel comfortable in, if that's the style you want to express yourself through then by all means do it!" This woman wasn't hurting anyone by wearing that hat. She hadn't killed an animal and slapped a slab of fur over her head. It was a hat, made of synthetic fibers and thread. Okay, so it didn't color coordinate, or even coordinate with the style of the dress, but it was her expression of self that made her put that hat on in the first place. And I, for one, applaud her. So my philosophy is this…we should go ahead and show off our artwork, blindingly colorful paintings, purple hats and all, because it's a part of us. And we have a right to express ourselves. This is our life, not theirs. It's our journey, our reward, our treasure. We should enjoy being who we are because each of us is unique, and individuality is a wonderful gift. So start that first novel, streak a vibrant band of yellow paint across that blank canvas, or carve into that fresh block of clay, or even, for the really ballsy women out there, go right ahead and wear that purple hat.
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