Statements that have been shared by those afraid to come to class, or statements blurted out during class before they share their words:
“But I’m not a writer”
Or
“Everyone is so good, I can’t write like that”
Or my favorite:
“I feel like a kindergartner when I share what I write”
All fair and valid feelings that I honor, understand, relate to. AND of course I have several things to say about it:
1- It’s not about the writing. It’s not even about the words that are on the page. Sure, it’s a part of it, it’s nice to have, but it’s just a tool. What it’s really about is the act of showing up for yourself. Being brave enough to show up with bedhead: messy hair and unbrushed teeth- unsure if you’re fully awake or existing in this plane yet- and doing it anyways.
2- Think of the people/artists/creators you admire. You see their finished work- their poems published, their speeches eloquent, their art so detailed the painting looks real. You may see the finished product, but you have no idea how many times it took them to edit, to fail, to practice to get to that fine tuned moment. There is something truly sacred about sharing our first drafts with one another. There is something about sharing our raw, real, clumsy selves that makes the magic that much more palpable.
3- It’s art because you say it’s art! Don’t take my word for it, watch this clip (and if you haven’t seen Mona Lisa Smile- do yourself a freaking favor):
Whether it’s a toddler’s version of a caterpillar that looks like a few squiggly lines on a page, to her aunty that has it on her fridge, it’s a masterpiece that she will cherish for the rest of her life.
Maybe you wrote three pages of what feels like nonsense to you, but when you share it with someone else they respond with tears in their eyes and gratitude in their voices. It’s art because it started from some sort of inspiration and it gets to inspire those that feel connected to it.
Art is in all of us
It’s in the marrow of our bones
In the thread of our DNA
It’s art
Because to be alive
To live
And to live fully along side each other
Is the greatest masterpiece
We could ever create
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