The arts help us connect with the issues of the heart.
Words.
Splotches of paint.
Notes of music.
Steps of dance.
Each creative movement we make has the potential of unleashing thousands of thoughts and feelings and actions. Art has power. And when we connect with the issues of the heart and we find ways to express our thoughts and feelings, we are empowered to make a difference.
Sometimes our creative expression will move the masses. Other times it will meet with outrage and opposition. Sometimes people get it. Other times no one gets it.
We are all at different points on this journey called life. “Different” isn’t necessarily better or worse—it is just “different.” And when we express our hearts from that place where we are at in life—our rhythm may cause others to jump in and dance along or it may be met with a clashing rhythm or even silence.
When we connect with the creativity and the dreams deep inside our hearts—not simply for the opportunity to show off our amazing talents or shock the world—but to spark dialogue and creative thought and positive change…something revolutionary happens. We as artists—as people tuned into our own creativity—suddenly become world changers.
World changers are artists. They experience the splattered, crazy mess of life, but they don’t give in to despair. As their hearts are moved by what they see and hear and feel, they begin to search for creative ways to paint a fresh picture, to dance a new dance.
As artists, we have the opportunity to ask the tough questions no one else wants to ask, to start the conversations no one else is courageous enough to begin, to create solutions no one else has ever thought of before.
Life is not black and white. It is not clean and tidy. It is uncensored. Every day we experience reality. Life throws at us a mess of letters and words and drips of paint and mixed-up notes. It is what we choose to do with those life elements as artists—and as world changers—that will determine the kind of poem, painting, song or dance we live.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/March 2008 ©
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Finding Voice
When I was younger I used to be blustery and bold. I would say things for “shock” effect. I would show off my “smarts” in my forward “know-it-all” way. I would say what was on my mind and I didn’t care what anyone else thought.
Sometime during the later high school years, though, the boys (specifically a former boyfriend and his gang of dudes), started teasing me in English class. I was the English brain—I knew all the answers and I didn’t mind speaking up when no one else would. Ask me—who wrote the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner?” Samuel Taylor Coleridge—hands down. Oh, yeah. I’m good. Tell us what the poem is about. Oh, yeah…here it comes…my deep, philosophical answer…
But the teasing kicked in, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be labeled a “geek,” especially not by a former boyfriend and his friends.
I had an “image” to protect.
So I silenced my voice. I piped down, shut down, shelled up and pulled back.
My writing became my voice. That boldness wasn’t completely lost, just funneled into a different medium. But it’s not enough. I want my voice back again. You know, looking back I’ve come to realize those boys were most likely teasing to provoke me—they wanted more, not less. And I’ve realized how incredibly hard it is to put breath back into a voice that has been quieted for so long. It can be done though.
Getting up on stage recently and giving voice to words of “EMPOWERMENT,” I have had the opportunity to re-launch my voice. There is power in finding voice and speaking out.
We all have experienced the silencing of our voices at one time or another. Maybe it was teasing that quieted us down. Maybe it was manipulation or abuse that shut us up. But when our voices are silenced something is missing.
We all have something to say. And when we tap into our voices—not to show off or gain attention, but to share the dreams and the creative vision we have for the world around us and to connect with others in deep and meaningful ways—incredible things happen.
We realize there is power in
Finding Voice.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/February 2008 ©
Sometime during the later high school years, though, the boys (specifically a former boyfriend and his gang of dudes), started teasing me in English class. I was the English brain—I knew all the answers and I didn’t mind speaking up when no one else would. Ask me—who wrote the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner?” Samuel Taylor Coleridge—hands down. Oh, yeah. I’m good. Tell us what the poem is about. Oh, yeah…here it comes…my deep, philosophical answer…
But the teasing kicked in, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be labeled a “geek,” especially not by a former boyfriend and his friends.
I had an “image” to protect.
So I silenced my voice. I piped down, shut down, shelled up and pulled back.
My writing became my voice. That boldness wasn’t completely lost, just funneled into a different medium. But it’s not enough. I want my voice back again. You know, looking back I’ve come to realize those boys were most likely teasing to provoke me—they wanted more, not less. And I’ve realized how incredibly hard it is to put breath back into a voice that has been quieted for so long. It can be done though.
Getting up on stage recently and giving voice to words of “EMPOWERMENT,” I have had the opportunity to re-launch my voice. There is power in finding voice and speaking out.
We all have experienced the silencing of our voices at one time or another. Maybe it was teasing that quieted us down. Maybe it was manipulation or abuse that shut us up. But when our voices are silenced something is missing.
We all have something to say. And when we tap into our voices—not to show off or gain attention, but to share the dreams and the creative vision we have for the world around us and to connect with others in deep and meaningful ways—incredible things happen.
We realize there is power in
Finding Voice.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/February 2008 ©
Making MY Declaration
There are experiences from my teen years that I am still healing from today. And my heart is burdened with a pressing question…what if my twenty-something self today could go back in time and tell that thirteen-year-old little girl: “Tell him ‘No.’ Stand up for your self. Respect your body. You’re worth more!”?
I wish I could. And I can.
“Hands are for giving, not taking.” These words haunted me as flashbacks raced through my mind. I was lying in bed waiting for rest to come, but it wouldn’t.
Earlier that day I had participated in a powerful healing experience for girls and women of all walks called Sisters Speak Out. We were given blank white t-shirts and told to paint on them. Paint on them? What would I say?
My thoughts traveled back to those hands and those lips—they took so much away from me. Once again I felt that emptiness of not being loved, of just being taken advantage of.
But even as my thoughts were focused on those painful memories from my teen years, I only half-heartedly painted that t-shirt in the here and now. I outlined my hand and then wrote around it: “Hands are for giving, not taking.”
That night as I lie there quietly tormented by my thoughts, the impact of this powerful and personal phrase hit me hard. It cut to the heart. I wasn’t just painting a t-shirt earlier that day. I was making a declaration—one that I should have made years ago.
Allowing my body to be violated like I did colored my life with negative streaks. Even after all these years I still needed to experience real healing. And the beginning of that came with the painting of a simple white t-shirt. That experience was a turning point in my life.
I was set free by
Making MY Declaration.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/January 2008 ©
I wish I could. And I can.
“Hands are for giving, not taking.” These words haunted me as flashbacks raced through my mind. I was lying in bed waiting for rest to come, but it wouldn’t.
Earlier that day I had participated in a powerful healing experience for girls and women of all walks called Sisters Speak Out. We were given blank white t-shirts and told to paint on them. Paint on them? What would I say?
My thoughts traveled back to those hands and those lips—they took so much away from me. Once again I felt that emptiness of not being loved, of just being taken advantage of.
But even as my thoughts were focused on those painful memories from my teen years, I only half-heartedly painted that t-shirt in the here and now. I outlined my hand and then wrote around it: “Hands are for giving, not taking.”
That night as I lie there quietly tormented by my thoughts, the impact of this powerful and personal phrase hit me hard. It cut to the heart. I wasn’t just painting a t-shirt earlier that day. I was making a declaration—one that I should have made years ago.
Allowing my body to be violated like I did colored my life with negative streaks. Even after all these years I still needed to experience real healing. And the beginning of that came with the painting of a simple white t-shirt. That experience was a turning point in my life.
I was set free by
Making MY Declaration.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/January 2008 ©
Keep it real.
I struggle against certain words like “perfect” and “clean” and “good” because people look at me and see “the girl next door.” And I look at myself and I know who I really am. I’m not perfect, I’ve made my mistakes. I’m human.
When I had just turned sixteen, an older family friend said to me, “Oh, sweet sixteen and never been kissed!” And I just thought to myself, “Um, yeah, if you only knew.” All the while, I smiled and nodded in agreement, but I was comfortably hiding behind my mask of words—perfect, clean, good, sweet.
Fakery…
We all hide behind masks—they declare to the world, “I’m perfect,” “I’m tough,” “I’m cool,” “I’m rebellious,” “I’ve got it all together,” “I’m sexy,” “I’m strong,” “I’m popular,” “I’m good,” “I’m just fine, thank you! And how are you? [Don’t really answer, because I don’t want to know. Fine? Oh, that’s great!].”
Lies…
Behind those masks we all cling to so tightly, we hide our real selves. We hide those words that quietly direct our lives, “I’m messed up,” “I’m scared,” “I’m a loser,” “I’m insecure,” “I’m lost,” “I’m ugly,” “I’m weak,” “I’m lonely,” “I’m terrible,” “I need help.”
Reality…
It’s when we tune in to the reality of our lives, when we pull those masks off and realize there has got to be something more to life, something bigger than ourselves and the fears and troubles that hold us back, that we can then begin realizing those dreams that have been crowded out along the way.
Awakening…
This is a generation thirsty for reality. This is a generation that is tuned into the raw elements of life. This is a generation that experiences the messiness of life and wants something more—that beautiful piece of artwork that reveals all that is good in life, and is not just projecting the appearance of good.
As I’ve thirsted for reality in my life, I have begun facing the ugly and the bad and nurturing the creative energy and the dreams I have in my life. And as I move in this direction, I am becoming empowered because I know who I am and who I am not.
We are empowered when we know who we are—both the good and the bad, driven by fears and dreams alike—and when we step out and begin to realize those dreams that were crowded out along the way, hidden behind those masks we all have to deal with one day…
Then we can begin to
Keep it real.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/December 2007 ©
When I had just turned sixteen, an older family friend said to me, “Oh, sweet sixteen and never been kissed!” And I just thought to myself, “Um, yeah, if you only knew.” All the while, I smiled and nodded in agreement, but I was comfortably hiding behind my mask of words—perfect, clean, good, sweet.
Fakery…
We all hide behind masks—they declare to the world, “I’m perfect,” “I’m tough,” “I’m cool,” “I’m rebellious,” “I’ve got it all together,” “I’m sexy,” “I’m strong,” “I’m popular,” “I’m good,” “I’m just fine, thank you! And how are you? [Don’t really answer, because I don’t want to know. Fine? Oh, that’s great!].”
Lies…
Behind those masks we all cling to so tightly, we hide our real selves. We hide those words that quietly direct our lives, “I’m messed up,” “I’m scared,” “I’m a loser,” “I’m insecure,” “I’m lost,” “I’m ugly,” “I’m weak,” “I’m lonely,” “I’m terrible,” “I need help.”
Reality…
It’s when we tune in to the reality of our lives, when we pull those masks off and realize there has got to be something more to life, something bigger than ourselves and the fears and troubles that hold us back, that we can then begin realizing those dreams that have been crowded out along the way.
Awakening…
This is a generation thirsty for reality. This is a generation that is tuned into the raw elements of life. This is a generation that experiences the messiness of life and wants something more—that beautiful piece of artwork that reveals all that is good in life, and is not just projecting the appearance of good.
As I’ve thirsted for reality in my life, I have begun facing the ugly and the bad and nurturing the creative energy and the dreams I have in my life. And as I move in this direction, I am becoming empowered because I know who I am and who I am not.
We are empowered when we know who we are—both the good and the bad, driven by fears and dreams alike—and when we step out and begin to realize those dreams that were crowded out along the way, hidden behind those masks we all have to deal with one day…
Then we can begin to
Keep it real.
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/December 2007 ©
I Dare You to Move
I lay sprawled facedown on my bedroom floor, thinking to myself, “What if I just stopped breathing?” I was in a depression my freshman year of college—and no one knew about it, not my family, not my friends.
On the outside, everything seemed okay. I was getting good grades. I had been hired on the student newspaper staff. There was this really cute guy in my Intro to Education class who was interested in me, and I ended up dating later on. But on the inside, I was hurting.
I was still hauling around emotional garbage from stupid choices I had made in my teen years.
I was struggling with trying to lock down a career path—teaching, journalism, were these two fields the only options for me?
I was being pushed outside of my comfort zone, as I went from being one of the “top dogs” at my high school to just being another face in the crowd. I was struggling to find my place.
My group of friends went from spending practically every minute of our high school days together to only seeing each other occasionally as we crossed campus on the way to classes. I was struggling to hold things together.
I had hit a low point, but it was time to get up off the floor and move. The band Switchfoot plays a song that cuts to the heart—“I dare you to move, I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor….”
Life hurts. Life isn’t always comfortable. Life is messy. But that doesn’t mean we should give up or give in. It means that we should try all the harder to keep pushing forward…to keep searching for that dream inside of us that waits to be awakened—we all have one.
Today I feel more alive than I ever have in my life. Yes, the struggles still come, but now I am focused on something much bigger. I am living an incredible dream that I never could have thought up myself. As all the important things of my life weave together—the dream awakening inside of me, the creative energy I’m here to share, the people I love, the people I serve—a beautiful piece of art is emerging from the splattered, crazy mess of life.
Life hurt? Life uncomfortable? Life messy? You’re not alone…
I dare you to move…
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/November 2007 ©
On the outside, everything seemed okay. I was getting good grades. I had been hired on the student newspaper staff. There was this really cute guy in my Intro to Education class who was interested in me, and I ended up dating later on. But on the inside, I was hurting.
I was still hauling around emotional garbage from stupid choices I had made in my teen years.
I was struggling with trying to lock down a career path—teaching, journalism, were these two fields the only options for me?
I was being pushed outside of my comfort zone, as I went from being one of the “top dogs” at my high school to just being another face in the crowd. I was struggling to find my place.
My group of friends went from spending practically every minute of our high school days together to only seeing each other occasionally as we crossed campus on the way to classes. I was struggling to hold things together.
I had hit a low point, but it was time to get up off the floor and move. The band Switchfoot plays a song that cuts to the heart—“I dare you to move, I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor….”
Life hurts. Life isn’t always comfortable. Life is messy. But that doesn’t mean we should give up or give in. It means that we should try all the harder to keep pushing forward…to keep searching for that dream inside of us that waits to be awakened—we all have one.
Today I feel more alive than I ever have in my life. Yes, the struggles still come, but now I am focused on something much bigger. I am living an incredible dream that I never could have thought up myself. As all the important things of my life weave together—the dream awakening inside of me, the creative energy I’m here to share, the people I love, the people I serve—a beautiful piece of art is emerging from the splattered, crazy mess of life.
Life hurt? Life uncomfortable? Life messy? You’re not alone…
I dare you to move…
Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/November 2007 ©
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
What’s Your Dream?
“It’s not what you do, it’s who you are!” These are the words of former Major League Baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky who recently spoke at a university assembly at Southern Adventist University.
Dravecky was at the top of his game in 1988, fulfilling his boyhood dream, when doctors discovered cancer in his pitching arm. Having part of his deltoid muscle removed, Dravecky was told by his doctors that “Short of a miracle, you’ll never pitch again.”
But Dravecky defied all odds when he once again mounted the pitcher’s mound on August 10, 1989. It was an amazing day. People cheered Dravecky on as he warmed up and the crowd gave him a standing ovation as he returned to make his first pitch since his battle with cancer.
Five days later at a game in Montreal, Dravecky threw “the pitch that could be heard round the world” as his pitching arm split in two and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
Dave Dravecky’s baseball career was over.
Dravecky’s pitching arm was amputated, and the reality was devastating. He struggled with questions about his identity, “If Dave Dravecky can’t play baseball anymore then who is he?”
In time Dravecky has come to realize that his dream of baseball is just a small part of a much bigger dream—bringing hope to suffering and hurting people around the world, and challenging those who question their own identities with the words “It’s not what you do, it’s who you are.”
We all struggle with questions about our identities. That’s a natural part of growing and changing. “Who am I?” “What am I going to be?” “What am I going to do?” But before any of these questions can be answered, we have to decide who we are.
Are we talented? Are we special? Are we smart? Are we beautiful?
Every person is talented. Every person is special. Every person is smart. Every person is beautiful.
When we own these ideas for ourselves and truly believe them with a humble attitude, we become empowered to look beyond ourselves, beyond our fears, beyond the things that hold us down and hold us back.
When we believe that we are talented, that we are special, that we are smart, that we are beautiful, then we can push forward realizing the dream inside of us and giving to the world what we’re here to share.
-Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/October 2007 ©
“It’s not what you do, it’s who you are!” These are the words of former Major League Baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky who recently spoke at a university assembly at Southern Adventist University.
Dravecky was at the top of his game in 1988, fulfilling his boyhood dream, when doctors discovered cancer in his pitching arm. Having part of his deltoid muscle removed, Dravecky was told by his doctors that “Short of a miracle, you’ll never pitch again.”
But Dravecky defied all odds when he once again mounted the pitcher’s mound on August 10, 1989. It was an amazing day. People cheered Dravecky on as he warmed up and the crowd gave him a standing ovation as he returned to make his first pitch since his battle with cancer.
Five days later at a game in Montreal, Dravecky threw “the pitch that could be heard round the world” as his pitching arm split in two and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
Dave Dravecky’s baseball career was over.
Dravecky’s pitching arm was amputated, and the reality was devastating. He struggled with questions about his identity, “If Dave Dravecky can’t play baseball anymore then who is he?”
In time Dravecky has come to realize that his dream of baseball is just a small part of a much bigger dream—bringing hope to suffering and hurting people around the world, and challenging those who question their own identities with the words “It’s not what you do, it’s who you are.”
We all struggle with questions about our identities. That’s a natural part of growing and changing. “Who am I?” “What am I going to be?” “What am I going to do?” But before any of these questions can be answered, we have to decide who we are.
Are we talented? Are we special? Are we smart? Are we beautiful?
Every person is talented. Every person is special. Every person is smart. Every person is beautiful.
When we own these ideas for ourselves and truly believe them with a humble attitude, we become empowered to look beyond ourselves, beyond our fears, beyond the things that hold us down and hold us back.
When we believe that we are talented, that we are special, that we are smart, that we are beautiful, then we can push forward realizing the dream inside of us and giving to the world what we’re here to share.
-Melissa
Editor
Chattanooga Teen Scene
*This selection is an editorial written for Chattanooga Teen Scene/October 2007 ©
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