I have been out of state most of last week for a death in the family--a beloved aunt. Her death was a blessing, but hard just the same.
I was interviewed recently by Nicolette Tallmadge for a podcost, which you can listen to here:
http://www.craftingvoices.org/episode-guide/inspiration/
I listened to a two-minute excerpt, one of my quotes from the program. It sent shivers down my spine. In a good way. I don't often "hear" myself. It was interesting to feel what I often talk about, the power that's generated when you speak from your heart.
Later that night, my husband and I talked about what drives us to do the art/work we do. As always, though you might not think that to look at us, it turns out we are pursuing very similar paths.
Both of us are inspired by the personal and social fulfillment that comes when people learn to tell their own stories.
When people realize they do not have to be a passive audience, but can produce and create their own content, they achieve a joy and power we both believe is a force for good in the universe.
I use the word "content" loosely. To me, the "content" we produce could be stories, artwork, poetry or music. Beautiful "content" can be a lovely garden or good food, functional clothing or a good boat. It could be something that lets people use their bodies more easily and with less pain--therapy, or surgery. It could be a better design for a home or vehicle that lets us live and work with less impact on the planet. It could be the work that saves a child from abuse, or from going hungry. It could be the work that lets a woman on the other side of the world support her family and raise her children in safety.
"Content" can even be the words that comfort the human heart and let us hold onto hope for another day.
Oddly, the same tagline I often use for MY work, could also apply to Jon. "Ancient stories retold in modern artifacts." Jon uses new technology as the modern artifact to tell his stories. I use art.
My story tells of the commonality of all people, from prehistoric times to the present, across time and distance, race and gender. I retell the stories we all have ALWAYS told--reaching for something just beyond our grasp, the strength and support we gain from belonging to our "tribes", the excitement and growth we feel when we step out beyond our tribe. The sheer joy we feel when we realize we are ALIVE, the sorrow and poignancy we feel when we realize how brief our lives really are. The power that comes when we work through grief and despair, and how that effort can transcend time and space. I illustrate these stories with artifacts I make from modern polymers and fibers.
Jon tells similar stories, the stories of people who live at what he calls "the trailing edge of new technology". These not necessarily the people on the "cutting edge", but rather the people who find and create their own niche purpose using the new tools the "cutting edge" has already left behind. These people have created new communities, or enriched old ones, with relatively simple software and internet-based services.
Examples from "Jon's world" are Wikipedia, where ordinary people can contribute and edit an knowledge and content of an on-line encylopedia; and Librivox, a sort of free "books on tape" service where the content is created by a host of volunteers who read, record and edit books from the public domain.
The amazing thing with Librivox is that many of the people involved are NOT high-tech superstars, or even tech-savvy teenagers. Many of them are ordinary people--retirees, college students, homeakers--whose passion for the written word and desire to participate have driven them to master new skills and technologies, for the greater good.
Through my "ancient stories", I've shared my awe and amazement I feel when people move past their fear to follow their heart, when people abandon their anger and hate to create something good and true, when people transcend grief and sorrow to bring something of beauty and hope into the world. And in my blog, I've encouraged people to find their OWN power and to be their OWN force for good in the universe, by telling and sharing their OWN stories.
In both cases, MOTIVATION (the desire to create something that makes the world a better place) and CONTEXT (easy access because of the Internet, and the ability to "bootstrap" from simple skills to more advanced skills) have driven and enabled people to do marvelous things they never knew they were capable of. Seriously non-techie people have learned how to use voice recorders and editing equipment. People like me, who never dreamed they could be artists, find they have beautiful work and a powerful story inside them.
You can see what's up with Librivox here at http://librivox.org/
You can read more about Jon's involvement with LibriVox here: http://librivox.org/2007/04/20/audio-jon-udell-on-librivox/
Or if you're curious what Jon's mission statement proposal to Microsoft was, you can read that here: http://blog.jonudell.net/2006/12/09/turning-50/
Now go to your studio and make stuff.
