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Three years ago I went to a contemporary art exhibit that featured all sorts of creations, from sculptures to videos projected on the ceiling, from new fashion to a little piece of writing. It was a page, rip from a diary, and it was inside a small turquoise frame, on a black pedestal.
I was struck by the simplicity of the piece, and by the audacity of its author.
Could that be considered art? I thought…
The answer was clearly Yes! Someone had been brave enough to put it there, and another someone had thought it communicated a message others would appreciate. I certainly got the message. I certainly needed it. It steered all sorts of questions within me.
- What is holding me back?
- What is making me believe my voice will not be heard?
- Why am I letting perfection keep me unfulfilled?
- Why am I letting fear win?
I don’t know and will never know the name of the author of the letter inside the frame. I don’t remember what was the letter about. But I do remember what it said to me, “don’t you wait another day”
Vulnerability Is Not Weakness
Art exhibits are explorations inward. They’re a wonderful way to get in touch with the power of vulnerability. Every artist, from Picasso to Warhol, from de Beauvoir to King, puts everything she has into a project, a piece of canvas a piece of writing, and then, she lets it go.
The vulnerable artist, in an act of bravery and self-actualization, pushes the work out into the world, for everyone to see and judge, for others to find the flaws that become part of the masterpiece of his action.
The vulnerable artist dreams and does. With every work she hangs on a wall, place on a room, in an open space, print on paper or publishes digitally, she exposes her vulnerability. By doing so, she stands for something greater: self-expression, diversity, bravery, courage, humanity, creation.
I want to be one of those daring artists, men, and women who carry their own personal fears and vulnerabilities, and do what they were meant to do anyway. Click To Tweet#VulnerabilityIsArt
This post was originally published on my other site gabrielagotay.com on 03/17.
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