Art Saves & It Saves & It Saves & It Saves

Published on May 31, 2010

Last week I had the honor to be a guest curator at the site Crescendoh. This site–created from the vision and hard work of Jenny Doh, is dedicated to sharing “Art Saves” stories from Artists of all over the globe. Recently, Crescendoh had a launch party celebrating the birth of this amazing venture and the LOVEly Suzi Blu put together a video of that party.

You have to watch it.

You have to listen to the Art Saves stories shared by Artists Suzi Blu and Melody Ross. Their words and their struggles are yes, inspiring…..but it is their complete and open honesty that shook me from the ground up. They don’t candy coat their journeys–but rather highlight their defeats to prove how hardships are catalysts for growth, creativity, and moments of great strength.

Right after I returned from my amazing Painting From the Wild Heart retreat with Chris Zydel in March, I needed to then concentrate on writing my own Art Saves story for Crescendoh. This, to my surprise was a very daunting task. I knew before going to the retreat exactly what I was going to say—what points I wanted to touch upon–even little tidbits of witty charm to throw in for fun. Then I went to the retreat and my whole life changed.

When I had to write my Art Saves story–I had no idea where to begin, or even how to communicate–because now, Art Saved me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Like I said HERE, Art Saved me when I wasn’t even ready to save myself.

But the thing is, what I’m going to share with you now….is that when I wrote that Art Saves story I did the best I could….but I still felt deep in my heart that I was hiding the real, honest, grimy, glorious truth of how Art saved me over and over and over again in my life. The Goddess Queen was snarking at me for not putting it all out there….but the Capricorn part of my brain was trying to keep things poetic and pretty–and even though I hate to admit it: SAFE.

All last week when I was “guest curator” I felt a tiny bit like a fraud. Like I wasn’t telling the whole story. Like I wasn’t saying exactly what I needed to say.

Then, late at night, I decide to watch the video above, and tears ran down my face. How cathartic and healing honesty is. Even when it is not your own. Just to witness another person opening their truth to the Universe is like standing arms raised under a waterfall of LOVE. You can’t help but relate and sympathize with that person—even if their story is completely foreign to your own. Truth is truth, no matter how we express it.

And we all have savior stories….or we would not be here.

If it isn’t Art…then it’s something else…Yoga, writing, hiking, cooking, or even needle point. The Universe grants us each beautiful gifts to hold onto to help us through those rough patches–to keep us a float when we’re in our darkest hours. Mine, like Suzi Blu, Melody Ross, and thousands of others, happens to be Art.

Art has saved me over and over and over again.

And now I’m ready to be honest. Now I’m ready to fully tell my story. Now it’s time to be BRAVE.

Stick around Dirty Footprints Studio this week, and you’ll see what I mean.