Become a Collector of Words, A Creator of Images…

become a collector of wordsLast Saturday, participants came from Atlanta, Charleston, Hartsville and Columbia to the Columbia Museum of Art to pause from the hectic pace of life and delve into the creative process. They came in search of inner phosphorescence, that luminescent energy that enlivens and inspires the direction of our lives. The catalyst for this workshop was the exhibition I Heard A Voice – The Art of Leslie Dill, on display until January 23, 2011.

A Collector of Words

Leslie Dill calls herself a collector of words. She finds great inspiration and guidance from poets who eloquently weave words together to express the magical nuances of what it is to be human. Dill takes words and poetic fragments and integrates them into powerful, visual meditative “knowings.”

Emily Dickinson is one of Dill’s great muses. Dickinson loved words, and phosphorescence was one of her favorites – “Now, there’s a word to lift your hat to, to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that’s the genius behind poetry.” I would say that is the genius behind all art and life itself.

Standing in Our Naked Truth

Mythopoetic author and Jungian analyst Marion Woodman teaches us that the light within – that still, small voice – “burns away what is no longer relevant and gradually reveals our essence. Until, at last, we are strong enough to stand in our naked truth.” Participants came closer to that naked truth as they dipped in and out of the spacious galleries that held Dill’s artwork, juxtaposed with the words of poets such as Emily DickinsonMary OliverPablo NerudaRumi and Marge Piercy, which we read aloud and upon which we silently reflected. Dill’s work inspires honest introspection and emboldens us to find the courage to unfold the next layer of our identities and unearth our true selves. Before long, we found our inner voices being ushered forward.

Become a Creator of Images

Consider picking up a book of poetry and discover which lines resonate within you. Become a collector of words and images. Who knows where they may lead you?

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