leslie avon miller (@ TEXTURES SHAPES AND COLOR in my sidebar) a blogger who inspires me, posted a wonderful piece this morning, which prompts me to respond to the 'call', to pull out a little book i bought about 10 years ago at the getty that i used in my classroom with 7 year old children. a starting point for some. for me i see my whole life. it has amazing illustrations, which i wish i could print too, by Robin Brickman to support the text by Pat Lowery Collins and it's called I AM AN ARTIST. so notice what you notice in your life.
"i am an artist when i follow a line where it leads me.
i am an artist when i find a face in a cloud or watch the light change the shape of a hill.
i am an artist when i discover shadows made by the moon, or trace patterns in the sand, or whin i name the colors inside a shell.
i am an artist when i look through a sun shower for a rainbow. i am an artist when i find one.
i am an artist when i notice that the sea is a mirror for the sky and when i make something from the things that i collect.
i am an artist when i shoot water loops in the air with the hose or discover pictures in drops of rain.
i am an artist when i cut an apple to see the star inside or when i watch sunlight turn dust to glitter.
i am an artist when i crunch through crusted snow and stop to gather winter's hush around me.
i am an artist when i look at a bird until i feel feathery too and an orange until i know what it is to be perfectly round.
i am an artist when i run my fingers over a shiny pod or across the rough bark of a tree or when i blow on a full-blown milkweed and it splinters into tiny white puffs or when i pick up a maple-tree seed and send it spinning back to earth by its twin propellers.
i am an artist when i see that the sun comes up in a soft haze and goes down in a fiery blaze.
i am an artist when i wait for a star to streak through the night sky or when i sit very still in the woods and listen.
i am an artist whenever i look closely at the world around me.
and whenever YOU listen and see,
you are an artist too."
lovely! and so true!
ReplyDeleteCiao Nancy, very interesting Blog. I will read today slowly (My English is not good) and I will follow your future posts with pleasure. CIao, Italo.
ReplyDeleteNancy this list brings tears to my eyes...my Mom was the first artist I knew. She saw all of this and taught me...
ReplyDeleteLove this!! It makes me more inclined to say I am an artist, rather than just "artsy"- because I do everything listed there, and then some.................
ReplyDeleteJust true!!!
ReplyDeleteLike Joseph Beuys said: "Everyone is an artist!"
I am visiting from ooglebloops (pat's) blog
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this beautiful and freeing writing....I am...I am...an artist :)
Practicing artists, all.
ReplyDeleteThanks sweetie pie!
Let the teaching and encouraging others to learn by your learning continue.
Excellent posting! Just what we all need to hear and read again. :)Bea
ReplyDeleteya'all must SEE the book, buy it for kids/grandkids/you.....and thanks. so happy i typed it up, and then finally proofread it..oops
ReplyDeleteThought provoking. I am new to your blog - came via Caterina's blog, La Dolce Vita. I hope you don't mind - I am going to write a little snippet about your post, with a link.
ReplyDeleteI, too, love the getty, cool books, seven year olds and this post :)
ReplyDeletep.s. thank you for your encouraging words on my blog :)
nancy this book speaks to me in a deep way....thank you for sharing the text, your retreat area looks amazing as well...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words and oh so true! and worth remembering!
ReplyDelete