THE COURAGE TO CREATE
30 x 40 ins, acrylic. December 14, 2010. In anticipation of the ELAN film interview, I read "The Courage to Create" by Rollo May and was intrigued by a concept I had never considered: that it actually takes courage to create. For me creativity has been a relatively joyful task/struggle more or less beyond my control, as I often feel driven. So I wondered where "courage" came into play. Explaining the different kinds of courage - physical, moral, social and creative and that creativity is the yearning to live beyond one's death, I was able to vaguely comprehend his meaning. I started this blank canvas by drawing in the book on the left and then worked around it with stuff from my studio, paintings, photos, ornaments, brushes, music sheets, old stamps - all of which triggered memories. In the process of laying it down slowly on this large canvas, I understood how and why I am indeed a courageous woman. The ELAN film will be aired in the spring of 2011.

ELAN English Language Arts Network