On Courage

My love for the arts was cultivated early on in life, where the joy and power of music and movies was instilled in me, encouraging me to explore all sorts of creative mediums: to sing, dance and make things, to dream so big that a successful, happy future felt guaranteed. Faith was and still is my backbone, but as a child, I was never plagued with uncertainty.

Without a photographic reference, I often struggle to remember specific events from my childhood, but I do recall being tasked with a particular art project in my first year of primary school. It revolved around the well-known ‘When I grow up’ concept and all of us 5 and 6 year-olds were instructed to create a self-portrait using markers, felt, pom-poms, pipe-cleaners and glitter, showcasing ourselves in our dream occupations.

I recall classmates building themselves as fire fighters and police officers; teachers and doctors, professional AFL players and Olympic athletes. As for me at 5 years old, a dancer is what I decided I wanted to be ‘when I grow up’. I remember the black strands of wool that I cut out to create my hair, the pink felt material I glued onto the cardboard template to make my dress; and the multi-coloured glitter I sprinkled to make my ballet shoes shine. Then, written at the top of my artwork - my name and the word DANCER.

As with any craft-making project at this age, it was a fun activity for all of us, only made more exciting by the fact that our primary school had negotiated with a local McDonald’s restaurant to display our amateur artworks. It truly was a joyous moment to walk into Macca’s* (though that in itself is enough for most kids) and see the art I had created of my future self pinned up on the wall for everyone to see.

We were proud, our teachers were proud, our parents too, of course. The wall display was filled with promise, the hope of a new generation of workers, contributors, future movers and shakers of the world. Our dreams felt so real in that moment; first acknowledged by the adults in our lives and ultimately, celebrated by our local community. There was so much possibility, expectation and absolute belief in us as children, that we would be able to pursue whatever it was we wanted in life.

I fell in love with the performing arts all throughout my primary school years as Mum enrolled me in dance classes and subsequently, piano and voice lessons. She had noticed my need for a creative outlet as I was constantly drawing, writing poems and singing and dancing around the house. She had also made a promise to herself that when she had children of her own, she would work as hard as she possibly could to provide them the opportunities she never had. I will be forever grateful that she did.

Reminiscing my childhood now in my thirties, not only brings perspective to the kind of foundation that was laid for me, but makes me realise just how essential and prevalent creativity is in the nurturing of children. I may not yet be a parent but I’ve been surrounded by enough them to know that mothers and fathers have a natural desire for their children to be receptive to art, to engage with it; whether it’s dancing along to a song on the radio, drawing pictures, finger-painting or learning to read a book. In this way, it is through artistic expression that we start to recognise a child’s abilities, watch them achieve mini milestones and interact with them in meaningful ways beyond their basic care needs.

Creativity is at the heart of how we raise our children and thus, on a macro level, fundamental to our human nature in the way it provides us multiple, limitless channels to connect with and learn from one another.
It is a rare occurrence to meet somebody unmoved by any kind of art. Even those consumed with other interests such as sport and travel appreciate the joys that television and music bring. In many ways, you cannot quite experience any of these in isolation from each other.
Art, in my opinion, is simply so embedded in our society and culture, in fact, in every fibre of our beings that if it were, to one day completely disappear, it would take love, happiness and fulfilment along with it. Art is food for our souls.
Furthermore, artistic expression is as unique as each of us - there is no number, formula or measure for creativity. It is therefore subjective, yes, however the purpose and meaning we derive from art (whether we are the ones creating or consuming it) are important indicators of who we are and the kind of life we strive to live.
Whilst a dancer was not to be my path in the way I had once dreamed, I feel blessed to have had the opportunities to explore this art form in my youth - it is undoubtedly a big part of why I am so passionate about music today. Hence in the nurturing of children, as a parent, teacher or caregiver, I believe it to be integral to encourage creativity, for the primary reason of allowing self-exploration and expression.

I’d like to affirm that such wisdom also applies to us in our adolescence and adulthood; we simply must allow ourselves and support one another in the pursuit of creative dreams. Why? Because we are creative beings, ie. it is in our very nature. To go about life without giving attention to what is stirring in our souls, well, that would be a miserable case of neglect.
When it comes to children, we are mindful of such neglect. We do everything in our power to ensure that our young ones feel cared for, inspired and hopeful. This is the reason that in my Grade Prep class, I was provided all of the materials, the time, space and encouragement, to build a dream future version of myself. There wasn’t anyone to tell 5-year-old me that I couldn’t be a dancer or force me to come up with a back up plan. Without inhibitions, I was able to take action on my decision and produce a personal piece of art without the fear of judgement or failure.

If we are so kind and nurturing to children, what is it that changes the way we treat each other as adults? The way we treat ourselves? If you were to draw a picture of your future self today, what would it look like? What do you want to be when you grow up some more?

For me, it seems impossible to answer these questions without deep diving inward, without a spiritual understanding of who I am at my core - what moves me, what scares me and the things I desire for my life beyond my bank account, beyond the place I live and the things I own. Rather, it is about pursuing truth, authenticity and purpose.

Self-discovery, as I have learned and continue to experience, only occurs when we are in tune with our innate creativity. And subsequently, courage. Identifying the things that inspire us to move forward has to be an ‘inside job’ if true joy and fulfilment is what we’re really after. If we allow our choices to continually be dictated or merely distracted by outside forces, we relinquish the power we have deep within us to cultivate a meaningful life for ourselves.

Children are less susceptible to these outside forces. In their innocence and worldly ignorance, they are protected from the mental and emotional vices of worry, guilt, shame, regret, cynicism and apathy. They are fearless. Free from these shackles, their creativity is in full bloom - with their wild imaginings, playful artistry and inspired dreaming - they are comfortable with whom they uniquely are and passionately convicted in what they want.

Each of us started life this way, uninhibited by the realities of pain and disappointment in our ambitious pursuits. We were driven by our capacity to do things and make things and accomplishing any-sized milestone would propel us into one confident action after another.
Like children, if we focused our energy solely on our ability to create, there’d be no limits to what we can discover about our lives, unlocking a myriad of treasures that would otherwise remain hidden and unused.
There is a common misconception about art, that it is merely something a select group of gifted people make for the rest of the world to admire. When the truth is in fact, that creativity is gifted to each of us in unique ways, and only a select group of people choose to harness it for the betterment of the world.

When we create, we exercise courage.

And courage, as I’m learning, is a vital key to unlocking purpose and potential.

We are creative beings, but we must also be brave enough to create.