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“Art is meant to inspire us. Art tells our stories. It connects us.” Allie Adams, Picture Perfect Mysteries
Art is a skill acquired through experience, observation, or study that covers a range of creative expression, not just paintings or drawings. The creation of art in any form is an intensely personal and spiritual process. Whether it is painting a landscape or a portrait, writing music, an essay or a play, or taking photographs, the activity of creating is almost always an individual experience. It is a connection between the creator and that voice that speaks in silence that directing the words, melodies, and brush strokes to bring ideas to life. I’ve always been fascinated by words and pictures, especially in the form of themed photojournalism books. Writing is my favorite form of expression, although somewhere along the way, I allowed the world to convince me that I didn’t have anything to say. I stopped writing for years, maybe even a decade or two, until a decade or two ago.
In addition to writing, I have always been fascinated by photography. My favorite photography subjects are sunrises sunsets, cloud formations, and nature. There’s something profoundly spiritual and inspirational about capturing these expressions of the Divine. One of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had was compiling a photo essay book on a trip to Kenya. The thing is, I’ve never considered any of my writing or photography as art or myself an artist. However, the words that come to and through me and the images I am inspired to capture, are recognized and appreciated as the Spirit of the Divine. It uses me as an instrument to bring Its ideas forth.
When you consider the process of creating anything, you realize that each of us is an artist, a co-creator, whether we recognize it or not. As a matter of fact, this struck me quite vividly; as I was finalizing this article, We co-create our lives in large part according to what we desire for ourselves and what we believe is possible. Our art, our creations, then, are our experiences.
Art is a lens through which we view our world and a mirror that reflects us, who we are, and what we believe. And it is important to remember where the ideas, the words, the melodies come from and to listen to the voice in the silence that guides our art to life.
Photo credit. Sunset on the Serengeti, Kenya. ©2010-2020 D. Gray-Young
Coach Deborah Gray-Young
Deborah Gray-Young is the managing partner of D. Gray-Young, Inc. a sales marketing consulting and coaching firm providing strategic communications planning and training for marketers, agencies and media companies.
An ICF accredited coach, Deborah is the author of three books:
What Do They Mean When They Say…?”, Decoding Performance Evaluation Speak, YOU 3.0: A Guide to Overcoming Roadblocks for Professional Women of Color and The Young Professional’s Handbook, a primer for young people entering the professional workforce. All are available on Amazon and Kindle
Deborah is based in Chicago.
Follow her on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgrayyoung/
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