Art has the power to lift us up and free us. Whether as the artist or the observer. Giving birth to art or experiencing its wonder has a profound impact on us and offers the chance to spark a connection to the human spirit that transcends time. Because art is timeless, it defines and yet defies eras. It is shared age after age, generation after generation because it reaches us, calls out to us and connects us.
Art manifests in many forms – in painting, drawing, literature, film, drama, printmaking, poetry, pottery, music, design, dance, photography, sculpting, woodworking, sewing, knitting, building, architecture, rug hooking, quilting, landscaping, fashion, baking, home décor, cooking and much more. Many creative pursuits dominated by women have been categorized as crafts where I believe them to be art forms and powerful creative expression that reflect and document life as they knew it. Art often creates a community, a bond, a connection, a shared experience that unites. I have found this through my chosen artistic mediums, writing, dance, pottery, painting, photography and rug hooking. We look to others with shared passions to find support, advice, encouragement and understanding. We go on a journey of discovery or adventures with them. We see parts of ourselves in them and aspire to become more.
I have many creative friends and am uplifted by their talents and the way they look at the world. All that they create, whether through hooked rugs, prose, poems, photography, pottery, sculptures, music, dance, knitting, baking, painting, jewellery, wood making or gardening is quite astounding. There is magic in their making, stories being told with depth of meaning. There is care, precision, imagery but most of all there is beauty. Sometimes there are whispers, sometimes there are echoes; other times booming expressions – but always voices, musings and messages worth listening to with intent, openness and interest.
Art is found all around us. It is in nature, in the celestial skies, in the depth of the ocean, in the meanderings of rivers and streams, in the layers of the earth, in the realms of the forests, in the imagination of the wind, in the softness of the rain, in the warmth and refresh of the sun, in the shadows of the clouds, in the velvet of a flower petal, in the softness of a fibre, in the golden glow of fields, in the silence and orbit of the moon, in the glimmer of the stars, and in the fabric of our souls.
How miraculous and reassuring it is that making and creating can and does occur at every age and stage – the purity and innocence of wee children, the anguish or zest of teenagers, the discovery and urgency of young adults and the breadth and calm of the seasoned.
Art makes the heart swell, long, expand, and feel. It can also make it cry, hurt, cleanse, mend and burst forth anew. It spreads and shares beauty which in turn often gives rise to hope, goodness, fulfillment, thought and serenity. It is a pathway to something bigger, something grand, something not to be forsaken or lost. It is a window – an opening, a view, a dream to be chased and a destination of belonging to be found.
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