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..."
