Speak to me.

I wondered what would be the worth of my words in the world
if i write them and then recite them are they worth being heard
just because i like them does that mean i should mic them
and see what might unfurl

i think of the significance of my opinions here
is it significant to be giving them does anybody care
just because i’m into this does that mean i should live like it
and really do i dare

art, art i want you
art you make it pretty hard not to
and my heart is trying hard here to follow you
but i can’t always tell if i ought to

so i pondered the point of my art in this life
if i make it will someone take it and think it’s genuine
will they be glad that i did ’cause they got something good out of it
will they leave me and be any more inspired

i question the outcome of the outpouring of myself
if i tell everyone my stories will this keep me healthy and well
will it give me purpose, to this world some sort of service
is it worth it, how can i tell

art, art…

— Tanya Davis

This stop motion music video showed up in my twitter feed today and as I
watched it, I was immediately struck by the simplicity of the message. Normally, something like this would find it’s way to my Tumblr blog where I deposit bits and pieces things I stumble across that light a spark. But this time is different. More forcefully, each question posed in the songwriter’s lyrics is like a battering ram beating on the fortress of my creativity, insisting to be let in. It
was as if the music, combined with the whimsy of the watercolor
drawings, was the perfect expression of my current self, and all the questions that keep trying to push their way out of my Pandora’s box.

I’m not really sure where to begin. I’m not sure there are really answers, but I know I have to pose the questions. I want to ask questions that spark conversation and collaboration, not controversy and concern. I do know this: I need to feed the creativity which has been locked away for so long.

Some of the buzzing in my brain, in no particular order:

• I want my words to have worth.
• I need to find my voice.
• I want to listen to my heart.
• I need to be happy.
• I want to be free to express ideas.
• I need to make a difference.
• I want to be inspired.
• I need to be an inspiration.
• I want to be valued.
• I need to be valued.

I know I’ve posted this to my professional blog. I know there should be something of professional content and value to it. And there is. I mean, social media brought this to my doorstep. I wasn’t even looking for it, yet there it was. I have been more and more intrigued by stop-motion animation (again, check the Tumblr blog for pieces I’ve found inspiring), and this practically begs me to try it. Technology, it must be said, is my art. I adore it and nothing makes me happier than to play with it and share it with others. I would also submit that I am inherently a creative soul, and I believe that it is this passion of expression that is actually a very real component of my professional self. It just doesn’t seem to extend to my professional work. And it is becoming increasingly clear that the cognitive dissonance I am experiencing professionally cannot be maintained much longer.

Just because I’m into this does that mean I should live like it and really, do I dare?

Speak to me.