I first heard this quote at just the right point that I needed it in my life. Meryl Streep quotes Carrie Fisher at the end of her Golden Globes award in 2017. I was feeling very low in my life at the time, and felt as though my art was one of the only things I had. Hearing this quote seemed to give me an epiphany, and it was amazing that a few words somehow unfogged the future for me.

There seems to be a lot of discussion and interpretations into what is so important about art and why it is so important. Some of these relate to telling the story of our species, history and brief glimpses into different cultures and experiences. Art can also be communicating something more specific in order to make a political impact or act for social justice. All of these points are important and relevant. The importance of art for myself as an individual is quite a bit more personal. I look for art that can make me feel, and help me heal.
Aside from visual art, another form of art that is a true passion of mine, is film. My love of film truly formed in my early twenties. I had struggled with some traumatic loss, mental illness and heart break. Not able to come to terms with these problems, nor articulate them to others, I turned to films that conveyed these experiences. I realised that the people who had written and made these films had had these experiences in their lives. They had taken their broken hearts and made them into art, and in turn helped me and, I'm sure many others, to heal.
Something else said by Meryl Streep during that speech that resonated with me was; 'We have to remind ourselves of the privilege and responsibility of the act of empathy,' and she is right. I try my hardest to remind myself everyday how truly lucky I am to have the privilege to work as an Artist, as there are so many people in the world that this is not an option for. But I never really put too much thought into the responsibility of it, and this in itself put another layer onto the quote. At this very early point for my business and in my career, I am still navigating finding the balance between truly letting my heart and creativity make what it desires, while still meeting a marketable demand. I never really thought that my art could help other people but I think that is the ultimate goal. But if I just remind myself of what film did for me, then maybe I can take my broken heart and make it into art.
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