Hello <<First Name>>,
I’m delighted to share this October 2016 edition of Arts Awareness E-Newsletter with you. I sincerely hope you find it helpful as you play an active role in all your creative efforts. Please feel free to share it with others who might be interested, and if you know someone who may want to receive this newsletter monthly, please let them know how to sign up through www.artsawareness.com.
Your Vote and the Arts
As we prepare to take part in elections that will soon be held across the country, I think it’s important to consider the impact of the choices we make on the future of the arts—both public sector and arts education. While the presidential election is getting all of the headlines, elected officials at all levels of government help shape our future and the future of the arts. So, how do you know what to look for when you hear speeches and interviews and glance at the vast array of names on a ballot at the polls?
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
My view is that while many candidates might speak of financial support, policy decisions, participation in an arts related activity, or attendance at arts events as a demonstration of arts advocacy, the real evidence of artistic sensibility comes from the characteristics revealed in everyday communication. What does a candidate do or say that reveals awareness and understanding of the arts and the artistic process? Besides what you see live or on television, are there quotes from the past that suggest artistic awareness and sensitivity?
There are many qualities that suggest a person has a deep understanding of the arts and the artistic process, but here are ten that I suggest should be considered as you make decisions over the next few weeks. A person with artistic sensibilities:
- Is open to criticism and has a sense of humility about their life and work.
- Values authenticity, integrity, and sincerity.
- Has the ability to focus.
- Is playful and values simplicity.
- Is flexible and has the ability to see different aspects of issues.
- Has an aptitude for practical problem-solving.
- Perseveres and is resilient.
- Focuses on solutions when they make mistakes.
- Is open and tolerant.
- Strives for competence and constant improvement.
You might notice that these deep-feeling and emotionally-rich qualities are also characteristic of a true artist. Artists listen from a deep, receptive, and caring place within. The ability to listen deeply is an important part of creative intelligence, and for an elected official, it’s important for inspired leadership.
Deep listening opens your awareness to the unknown and unexpected. It allows you to produce something meaningful to your own sensibilities, while at the same time communicating more effectively and developing a genuine feel for the expression of others. This kind of listening requires a person to suspend their self-oriented, reactive thinking to the expressions of others and to quiet their own persistent inner thoughts. When you are able to do this, you become more able to see and hear without being hijacked by your own emotions.
…listening is the doorway to everything that matters.
~ Mark Nepo, poet and philosopher
While listening is important for all of us, it’s a vital skill for elected officials to achieve in order to effectively express themselves; and public communication with this sort of awareness has the potential to extend its positive and powerful influence to the world at large. A candidate with this sort of artistic sensibility demonstrates such an expansive attitude that it can influence everyone with the promise and potential for what lies ahead.
While artists focus on creating their art, an effective leader focuses on creating an environment that allows people to move through challenge and change with the grace and motivation to consider all the possibilities before them. With the power of possibility, leaders can establish an environment where everyone simultaneously grows and learns more about themselves and the world. The capacity to experience the emergence of new hopes and dreams, along with the potential of new possibilities, creates a rich and fulfilling experience for everyone involved.
The arts and the artistic thinking process are important in our communities; and in an increasingly challenging world that changes every day, it’s vital for the education of our children who are being asked to think in new ways. Experience with the arts helps all of us think, and feel, and know more deeply. So, as you make your choices over the next few weeks, consider how the impact of your vote will impact the arts. Listen carefully. We need the arts, and our children deserve an opportunity to learn from arts experiences.
Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.
~ Keri Russell, actress and dancer
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