Go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living.
They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art,
no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake.
Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem.
Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward.
You will have created something.
~ Kurt Vonnegut
They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art,
no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake.
Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem.
Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward.
You will have created something.
~ Kurt Vonnegut
After I gave up smoking in 2000 I had a need to have something in my hand while I was thinking and writing. I bought some modelling clay to play with and occupy my hands. I vividly remember the surprise when I looked and saw that I had made little creatures that each had their own personality:
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This is how a journey started that finally led me to the Learning Connexion, an art and creativity institution in Wellington. I enrolled as a part time student and discovered the joy of doing installations:
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got totally carried away with moving paint around on a canvas:
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even tried my hand at drawing, which has lead to an obsession with doodling:
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and ended up filming and producing a video about
"The Dance of Core Connexion": |
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I credit The Learning Connexion for helping me lose my inhibitions about "not being good enough" and instead just enjoying the process of making art. I believe that engaging in creative activities makes your life richer and more fulfilled. It's available to everyone and doesn't even need to cost anything. I encourage creative expression in my dance classes and have seen people making tremendous progress once they crossed the threshold.
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