Maria Luz Q. King

Old Man

"My art is my conversation with the world."

— Maria Luz Q. King

American Artist, Writer

1952 - 

Junior

Art at its core is about communication, about talking — carrying on a conversation with people today and tomorrow.  It is like a time machine that carries us from the world in which we live into some distant future where we inspire the lives of others.  What are you talking about in your art?  What is the conversation that you are having?  What messages are you sending into the future?

Is the conversation that you are having clear and concise?  Do people understand what your message is  Do you know what your message is?

Robin Moore

"To truly own a story, you must fashion it and shape it, as you would a garment, to fit your frame."

— Robin Moore

American Storyteller, Writer

1950 - 

 

Do you own the stories you tell with your art?  Do the stories you tell touch your heart?  Do they bring tears to your eyes?  Art is about communicating emotion through the stories we tell.  Reach deep inside your soul and touch the power of who you are.  Show us the love you feel.

During the last thirty years there has been a rebirth of oral storytelling in the United States.  Robin Moore has been one of the leaders of this storytelling movement.  For me, there is a lot to be said about the oral tradition.  Prior to the invention of the printing press, storytelling was how people shared information and entertained each other.  And while I love the printed word and average reading about two books a month, I find something exciting about listening to a well told story that makes me laugh and cry.

In the final analysis when we look back across our lives all we have are our memories and our stories.  The jobs we hold and the money we make have little value when our days on the planet are coming to a close.  As a creative leader, you should mine your experiences for stories to share in your paintings, your poetry and your novels. 

Here is Robin Moore talking about story and community.

Patricia Highsmith

"All arts are one and each art — even ballet — is a form of storytelling."

— Patricia Highsmith

American Novelist

1921 - 1995

 

Do you agree that "all arts are one..."?  At the core, each of the arts are about creativity, about communication and about storytelling.  Whether we are talking about a painting, a dance recital, a play or a novel, we are talking about the impulse to create stories that communicate the meaning of why we are here.  Even abstract art has a story to tell if we can interpret message within the symbols.  The forms of the storytelling are very different, but the impulse that brought the forms is the same.

Do you celebrate and support other art forms?  Do you associate with artists of all stripes and shapes and genres?  Or do you stick to your small corner of the universe?  Do you only surround yourself with poets, or realistic painters, or ballet dancers, or stage actors?  We can learn much from talking with others and studying their creative processes.  We can be inspired by the works of others.

Unfortunately, in the American society, people don't always appreciate the value that the creative arts bring to a community.  Usually the arts are the first programs cut when there is a budget crunch.  The hard subjects of math and science are more important.  Yet, I believe, the arts are what make us human.  They help us create new futures and new visions.  Without the arts, life would be boring and dull.  So support your fellow artists today.

Christina Baldwin

"Story is the mother of us all.  First we wrap our lives in language and then we act on who we say we are.  We proceed from the word into the world and make a world based on our stories."

— Christina Baldwin
American Writer

The world we live in is the world we have created by the stories we tell ourselves individually and collectively.  Both personal, family and community history is made up of remembered stories that we have told ourselves over the years.  We make decisions about our lives based on the stories we believe to be true.  As creative leaders in our society, what stories are you telling in your writing and painting?  The stories that you and I choose to tell help shape the future of our world.