Tag Archives: art

Art, Isadora Style

duncandancing2

“If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.”

– Isadora Duncan

 Art is critical to human evolution, survival, well-being, tolerance, awareness, and connection. It is not something we do, it is something we are.  We are the music, the dance, the masterpieces. Our lives are compositions. Language is vastly limited in what it can do to express the nuances, subtleties, and galactic power of our emotions, our sensory input, and our depth. This is something I’ve learned as I’ve waded through grief over my dad for the last two years. Some things just can’t be explained with words. To be fully realized, we need to create and express artistically. We need to move our distinct selves in rhythm with the sensations and vibrations we feel, and let meanings fall away, as we spring into a state of observation. Art is immediate. Creating it and being witness to it drops us into the present moment.

I love this quote because Ms. Duncan is saying how dance can express something without defining it. That is something that we are designed to do- bypass our need to analyze and understand- and just embody our experiences. Dance them. Paint them.   Sculpt them. There is a part of us that is always centered in the geyser of creative force. Where we don’t need to understand or analyze. Our mental selves jump out of the equation and we are left with ourselves- and the power we have in expressing things that words never could contain.

Say That Again Saturdays

This begins a weekly sharing of my favorite quotes. Sure, you can find most of them on this page I’ve created, but isn’t it nice to take a minute to savor them one a time?

Today’s quote:

“Creativity is the antidote to destruction.” – Trey Anastasio

Yes, it’s that guy from Phish and yes I’m a freaking hippie. But, really. This is a great quote. It even applies to my 3 year old at those moments when he is really invested in tearing things up in his room. Destruction at its purest. He usually has no interest in coloring, but pull out the art spinner machine (just like they used to have at school fairs,) and the boy gets crazy with the paint. Loves it. Give him something to create and he will stop destroying.

On a more personal note, if I’m not creating something- either every day or at least once in a while, a little part of me feels like it’s dying. I think that is true for a lot of people. Creativity doesn’t just build the world, it builds us up too.