Uncensored

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 ©