Art to Articulate
We're all stories.
In 100 degree weather, 30 artists gathered at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles to attend a workshop with interdisciplinary artist, Yumi Sakugawa.
We sat in a varanda, a word in Sanskrit for the in-between, floor-to-ceiling glass windows opening to the garden extending our lungs to the breath of the land.
Master Artist in residence, Hirokazu Kosaka introduced us to this beautiful concept of co-creation by means of sharing this liminal space, looking within while looking out.
He spoke of Okasa’s tradition, three flowering neighbors of a mountain joined in a vase for an introduction like all of us who are near, but have never crossed paths till now.
In the company of local creatives, we told of our losses, learnings and yearnings for the future. All of us are storytellers. This is how we connect community. We all hold truths that form this universe. We cannot articulate ourselves without being perceived by another.
How can we articulate our own voices? This lies in the concept of hyper-rationality vs. figurative truths…
Have you ever wondered where music came from? The great monuments and scientific theory? Everything came into being through our imagination.
We determine figurative truths when we tap into our own meaning making.
I live in service to the arts because it translates the love we wish to express. Adversity catches fire in the lack of acceptance and understanding of ourselves. With art, we can articulate our inner landscapes and be authentic in community.
Do you ever find language limiting the expression of your feelings or ideas? In order to share our truths, it is necessary to develop dimensional language.
Before antiquity, we mimicked birds and drew pictorial words. Speech and written language was dimensional. The highest vibrations of expression will be the sound and characterization of language.
When our emotions are connected to our voice, we express authentically. Language must always evolve as we do.
My focus is to help people express more deeply and articulate by nurturing their creativity. Creative expression allows for meaningful connections with ourselves and the larger “I.”
What new words or phrases do you want to create? What do they sound like? How do they feel? Is there a motion that accompanies it? Please share your thoughts!
Substack
With love,
Ode to Mel
