Friday, February 26, 2021

There's No Place Like Home.



When I was young I remember hearing this expression:

Don't be so high-falutin.

This was similar to the problem of getting too big for your britches

I am guessing that these sayings came from the Depression era.   I'm really not sure, as I understand it, this advice is all about being more modest, not bragging, and well, basically learning to tone it down.

There is the idea out there that if you get too full of yourself, to sure of yourself, something bad is bound to happen.  And that bad thing?  Well, perhaps you'll reach for something amazing, only to wind up sad and disappointed and penniless in a garret, with no heat in February, cold and drinking really bad red wine.  Oh, and wearing those woolen gloves with the cut out fingers.  (Actually, these days they're considered kind of stylish.). Anyway, I digress.  The point is, you better better not get too big for your britches!  

Best, to be quiet and discreet, not tell anyone about these crazy arty ideas of yours!

You see how terrible this is for those of us who write and make art?  This secrecy keeps our light hidden in dark places.  And after a while, we cannot even imagine sharing our work because we are so filled with fear.

This is not good for you and it's not good for your art.  

So, my advice is this--throw open the curtains and let the light in.  Show your work and share your ideas.  Declare that you are an an artist or a writer or a dancer or musician or poet.  

Because you are.  You have always had the power within you.  It's simply a matter of claiming it, or perhaps clicking your heels together and repeating There's no place like home three times.  (Home being a metaphor for your own true self.)  

And your creativity prompt for the week.  Use these three images in a story or painting or song:

1.  The shoes in the middle of a snowy field

2.  Paris in April

3.  Your grandmother's ring that was lost and is now home

 Have fun!

Love, Jamie

I will be teaching a zoom writing workshop through the Spencertown Academy Arts Center on four Sundays, beginning April 11, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Please visit Spencertown Academy Arts Center for more information.

 


4 comments:

  1. I was told this by my father, with the addition of a bunch of cats. I wish I did have silly cats in my garret (in Paris). I have fingerless gloves and have been cold in February, though now we’re having April weather, so go figure. My father was prophetic. I wish I had planned better for this, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

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    1. Dear Carol--That's so funny about the cats!!! And yes, not fingerless gloves are so fashionable! We are both ahead of our time! Love, Jamie

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  2. I want to add that most artists and writers didn’t listen to their parent’s sensible advice. We were called rebels, introverts, we went our own way and we were selfish. We didn't consider other’s feelings or the consequences. The only artist I know of who got great familial support was Hitler but no art schools would let him in. If only they had. A thought provoking post today Jamie :))

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    1. Ah, Carol--you are so funny and so wise too! We must sit down at a Parisian cafe one day and talk about all this. I have lots more to say on this topic, and I know that you do too! Love, Jamie

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