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Bahamian Epiphany: Why I Created Dancing Goddess Arts, A Space for Creative Renewal
"Facilitating the return of the creative soul is one of the most healing things
you can do for another person. Recovering your own creative soul is one of
the most empowering things you can do for yourself."
Tom Crockett, The Artist Inside
I was living in the Bahamas when I had the epiphany that has led to my dream of creating a center for women's creative renewal. I had just dropped my son off at his Bahamian preschool run by a couple of blonde-headed British women. I was walking home to our one-bedroom flat at Queen's Court apartments when I had a flash of insight that almost made me stumble and fall. On a street inhabited by a community of homeless people who were often still sleeping at this time of morning, no one noticed the crazy American woman flailing about in astonishment. I even remember what I was wearing, a red sleeveless linen dress that had become a staple of my Bahamian wardrobe. I loved the lightweight material, hanging loose around my body, and its brilliant color, like the hibiscus blossoms that bloomed year-round, prolific as weeds on this island.
Looking back, it is hard to imagine that this vision seemed like such a break-
through. I had been painting seriously for a few years, had shown my work in galleries, and was aiming for a "traditional" career in the arts, that is, making stuff and selling it. When I first started painting, I experienced what felt like a return of my soul and a reclaiming of my creative passion, which had lain buried since childhood.
I had come to understand that making art could be healing, physically, emotionally and spiritually (as if these were separate!). I found immense reserves of joy and energy simply in the process of allowing spontaneous images to appear on paper or canvas. This in itself was a revelation to me. Previously, I had thought of art-making as a struggle, an effort to create something that pleased or interested the viewer. I continued to focus primarily on the product of my work: How could I create something that people would appreciate and buy? How could I be original? Was I good enough? Was I talented?
The vision I had walking home that day simply bypassed all those questions, as these are questions of the ego. What my vision showed me was that talent didn't matter, how others responded was irrelevant, creating something pleasing was unimportant, and everyone has an artist inside just waiting to be acknowledged. My vision was of helping people, those who call themselves artists and those who do not, discover creative expression as a means of healing, spiritual growth, self-knowledge, and pure joy. I saw that art-making is the birthright of all humans, and that its sacred purpose has always been to connect with the divine creative spark within each of us, and through this connection to source, facilitate trust in our own spiritual and creative power.
I also saw that women, like myself, are deeply in need of validation of their inborn creative gifts. They need midwives to help them birth their potential and nurture it to its full development. Our schools and religious systems rarely foster individual creative expression in anyone, but especially not in women. For in this culture (and most other major world cultures), there are no divine images of woman as creator in literature, myth, religious texts, or art. Historically, in patriarchal cultures that acknowledge only what is male as divine, women's creativity has been suppressed, denied, or ignored. Until we can honor what is feminine as sacred, women and women's creative expression will remain marginalized.
Although it is a great beginning, cultivating awareness of the feminine as divine is not enough; we need to become the creators we were born to be, and we do this by creating from the depths of our sacred souls. When we begin to create art, music, poetry, theatre, dance, childbirth practices, educational systems, churches, gardens homes or families by looking within ourselves for inspiration,
we are living our divine purpose for being; we are honoring the goddess who is the force of creation itself.
I drove past a protestant church recently with this message on the sign out in front: Only trust God, never trust yourself. As unbelievable as this message seems, this the primary teaching of many of our religions systems, schools, and approaches to the arts. The message implies: Trust your pastors (who translate the will of God), trust your teachers, trust and follow all the authorities who know what is best for you, no matter what your feelings or your inner voice may tell you.
My Bahamian epiphany is why I created Dancing Goddess Arts. I see it growing into a community of creative souls who seek to learn more about the magic they carry inside through free and joyous creative expression. It is a space to learn how to trust that inner voice of direction which is our highest and greatest authority. This is the voice of genius within all of us that yearns to bring visions of heaven to life on this earth.
Dancing, painting, drumming, singing, and writing are some ways to practice being goddesses and hearing the voice of destiny with more clarity and joy. It is not all "small stuff." Birthing and supporting our creative passion and desire is hugely important. It is why we are here.
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