Well, its 6.41am here in Dallas Texas, been awake for over 2 hours, still cant sleep, but I am managing to drive without rearranging myself or the car, although I have been honked a bit!! Well its hard, with all those confusing exits and my GPS thinks I am completely challenged when it comes to spatial orientation. If I had 5cents for every time it has had to 'recalculate' my route because I missed an exit or took the wrong one.
So catching up, Friday was a good flight and my friend Jenny had no idea I was coming to surprise her. Tim and her 4 children did a great job of keeping a secret, she was silent for about 3 minutes. So we had fun. Saturday I headed to Los Angeles, its a long flight but can't say it was too bad, and then I managed to sleep the 3 hours from Los Angeles to Dallas. Dallas is gorgeous and the airport something out of the Jetsons (for those old enough). Great airport, and you get this amazing shuttle ride to the hire car place. Managed the drive into North Dallas, find the hotel, answer emails, mark some Singapore papers, go for a 1 hour walk, have some mexican, and then could not sleep. 3.00am and wide awake despite my efforts to drink several of the customary local margeritas and chat to some nice people here for an ASME conference. Very smart engineery types.
Sunday was a fantastic day and why I am here, after walking to Wallmart across the street (which is open 24 hours and is the size of AAMI Stadium) I met with Shannon and her mum Shirley. Shannon showed me some of her art and then danced for me. We then went to have some lunch and chat. We spent nearly 3 hours together and really clicked. Shannon, Shirley and I are so like minded and Shannons aspirations to study arts in college is supported by her mother who works hard to negotiate new pathways not just for Shannon but young adults in general.
Then I met Jeremy and we talked at length about his passion for writing poety and photography, a great young man who was involved in a motorcycle accident with his dad aged 9 years and despite the resulting head injury is studying Studio Arts at Texsas University in Arlington. Jeremy drove 2 hours across town to meet me and it was well worth the experience. Jeremy writes his own music and is dabbling with film making so I put him onto Oska Bright website so he might pursue that. Jeremy is successful because he takes risks and tries a variety of art forms, enters competitions and often wins.
Following my time with Jeremy, I met with Edie, a creative writer and painter who lives with mental illness. Edie has worked hard over a number of years to emerge whole from trauma and therapy to find and hang onto who she is in essence. Art has been the thread that has held her many pieces to an anchor point. Edie has an amazing talent for writing, both pieces that are autobiographical as well as fiction. Edie has immence courage, demonstrated by her driving across town which she rarely does, getting lost but still managing to share he tales, experiences and stories.
Finally, I drove to Irving Texas to meet Beverly and her service dog Otis at a local art gallery. Berverly is a gutsy, hard working, yet sensitive individually who has managed to maintain a punsihing regime of creating her drawing and paintings, volunteering and advocating for services within her local council area. Beverly was honored with an award this weekend and it is sincerely deserved. Beverly has a funny and slightly naughty side, yet her passion for animals is well represented in her work. A fine arts graduate, Beverly's pencil drawings are exquisite there is no other word to describe their beauty and realism. Otis is a little cheeky and could do with some Geraldine discipline.
Today I drive to Austin and meet more people, I cannot believe I am so fortunate as to be spending time and sharing with such talented people. In listening to each of these individuals, I find it difficult to understand why resources and support is not available to assist people to continue to develop their art, but also to give it to the community more. Some of what I have heard represents not just a lack of support, but active undermining in some cases. Each of these four individuals is not only a different person in personality, life experience, age and artistic style, yet there is already an emerging commonality in their experiences. That art is more than an activity or leisure or a profession, it is a life line. Each of these artists is driven to create and does so against diversity because they have to do it, because for each of them it is a place of escape, joy and pure pleasure. It keeps them going and frankly sane. How I wish I had my books on 'Flow' by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who considers that people engage in activities that bring a sense of timelessness, that challenge personal growth and are enjoyable for their own sake.Google it!
I feel humbled sharing these personal experience...and so I should!
Will fill you in soon...probably when I cannot sleep next.
Caroline
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