The Power of Creative Spirit

This past Friday night our community celebrated the annual VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle art show opening.  You can see some of the beautiful art work behind me in the picture.  It was wonderful as always to see the place filled with artists and those who support the arts. I was fortunate to have been encouraged at a young age to cultivate my creative spirit. I loved to draw and make crafts.  It was at a community recreation center in Chicago where I also took tap and ballet, acted in plays and participated in variety shows.

These artists in VSA are people who have a disability of some kind.  Some of them use a wheel chair to get around. Others' disability may not be visible but they may have a severe hearing loss (like myself) or a brain injury or some kind of special need. I say this because while on the one hand their lives may contain challenges that many do not experience, on the other hand their ability to express their innermost joy with art is unhindered.

I think about where we are as a culture now in this digital age. Many of us have Facebook pages. I see many people posting quotes from famous people or cartoons or other images with messages not of their own making to speak for them. We often use the words and images of others to give voice to our lives.

This makes me see that creating our own art and music and poems or however you choose to express yourself is so important.  It is an important contribution for an artist to capture something that could speak for others or express joy and beauty in a way that is unique to them. Their unique expression becomes a way to celebrate the human spirit. Up on these walls are the testimonies of lives well lived. I am proud to be a part of this community!