Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Turbulence

In the time since my last post back in February (OMG!), I have been happily preoccupied with my ongoing studies in Visual Arts. I have continued to be challenged by the emotional demands that ‘creating’ requires of me but feel more strongly now than ever, that it is exactly this emotional process that makes it so essential and worthwhile for me.

The following is an excerpt from 'Public Life Private Grief', a memoir by Mary Delahunty who is a former Australian journalist and politician. I was particularly drawn to the section because it so beautifully describes the underlying depth and wisdom of many creative spirits - their insightful contributions to society all too often under-valued.

"There were men and women who led the political life whom I admired for their courage and service, even, in some instances, as I questioned their policies. By far however, the deepest insights came to me from the pen or brush of writers and artists, those mostly modest creatures who pare the human condition like a knife peeling the skin from an apple, removing the exterior to reveal the bittersweet flesh within. Through their work and in interviews I conducted for the ABC TV’s national arts program in the mid ‘90s, they revealed to me layers of understanding rarely afforded in politics... I learned to look at life differently, to begin to understand it as a journey of exploration with a punctuated narrative rather than a straight line..."