AN ESSAY
Four Gardens of Reflection
The Arts
| Introduction | Community | Children | Nature |
"They haven't got a poetic bone in their bodies," a friend of mine used to say when people were overly literal in interpreting the Bible. What he meant was that the individuals in question lacked the ability to see beyond the words and understand the deeper, artistic and spiritual meaning of the text, the one that the author and God had intended to convey. They had stifled their own ability to explore the mystery of the message, open its pathway to the heart, and opted instead for a misleading simplicity and rigidity that betrayed the essence of life itself.
We all have within us the ability to explore and display some of that mystery, each in our own way. Humans are so multi-faceted and multi-talented that we can do it in one or a mixture of chosen media. Our choices depend largely on our native talents and dispositions. They may involve painting or sculpture or some other visual art that conveys meaning through image; music that conveys meaning through sound; dancing or other performance arts that convey most of their meaning kinetically; or literature, conveying it through the written word.
I discovered at a very young age that my preferred medium was the written word. I enjoyed telling stories and describing scenes and finding efficient but effective ways of articulating ideas on paper. Later, I learned to speak in front of a live audience as well, acquiring all the nuances of the spoken voice in the process. The latter begins to blend with the gift of acting at times, for public speaking, including readings, is a form of performance art. Our skills begin at times to blend from one art to another, making it not unusual to find artists who like to explore skills beyond their chosen profession.
At bottom, however, I have always known that I am a writer. And I have learned that writing, like any other art, requires practice and study and diligence if one is going to raise it to the level of perfection that art and the heart deserve. I have learned and changed a great deal as my writing has evolved through articles and books and letters and, yes, even PowerPoint presentations, which need not be as rigidly stylized as they often seem to be. The limitations of an art form are often more apparent than real.
Because writing as a way of conveying ideas and meaning and, quite literally, of changing the world is so important to me, I choose to give back some of what I have gained. After my first book was published and I was living in Chicago, I was invited to join the Society of Midland Authors. Over time, I have served as the editor of its newsletter, Literary License, as its membership secretary and vice-president, presiding over a substantial increase in its membership base, and as president (1997-1999), pushing to create what has become an outstanding literary website. I remain on its board of directors. I think it is important that Chicago and the Midwest remain the base of a vital and active organization for authors and provide meaningful programs to promote the literary arts. Chicago and the Midwest have produced so much in the past, much of it through Society of Midland Authors founders like Edna Ferber, Vachel Lindsay, and Harriet Monroe, that it would be a shame to allow any of that heritage to wither away. It is not enough merely to succeed on one's own behalf. It is essential to contribute in other ways as well.
| Introduction | Community | Children | Nature |