Sue's News

My Mission

August 11th, 2010

I’ve written before about the themes that I’ve seen time and time again in my work. And I’ve also briefly touched on my mission of giving those without a voice, a voice.

But it was while reading something today, and thinking about it further that I realized another part of my mission: To help people, characters in the plays and the audience, find their inner butterflies.

It sounds funny, and new-agey, I know… But it occurred to me as I was looking at my own butterfly… a huge painting I did for our production of Chrysalis last year.

The canvas is huge, and the butterfly’s wings span the entire canvas, edge to edge. (To make the butterfly on the painting big enough for audience members sitting in the back of the theatre, I painted her sideways, so her wingspan is even bigger than just going width or lengthwise.)

The canvas is huge, and if you’ve ever bought art supplies before, you can imagine how expensive it is. (This canvas is a few feet by a few feet.) I was so scared of painting it, scared of making a mistake… but my sister urged me to do it. I may have mentioned this story before… but what struck me today is that close to a year later, I finally realized the significance of it for me… in my work as an artist and person.

We are so often scared to share our greatness, and to give that part of ourselves a voice. Part of my mission in writing the plays I write is not only to give a voice, but to have a voice…and give others the opportunity to express themselves in their reactions and life-based experiences and recollections. (It sounds so elementary… but I was just so struck by how deeply I felt it, and how much a part of me it really is.)

In being  so moved by this understanding, I wanted to share it with you… and invite you to express yourself and your gifts, and find strength in those expressions.

What will you share with the world today? (You can start by sharing here.)

–Sue

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