“Go into the arts … I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable.
Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.
Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem.
Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
—Kurt Vonnegut* from A Man Without a Country, (2005)
In ALL my seminars and workshsops, no matter the attendees, we give everyone 6-10 sheets of blank, unlined (photo copy) paper and a 3-5 small felt pens and say, "This is the only way you may (and can) take noyes today. No iPads, laptops, smart phones, nothing else ... unless you have brought your own SKETCHBOOK. (No journals with lined pages, please.)"
I've done this with college professors, medical doctors, law enforcement, educators, ministry professionals ... everyone. 92.1452% of them love it—eventially.
As a result, every week I recieve messages accross the electronic media-sphere: "McNair! Look what I did!" Everything from transformed employee breakroom bulletin boards, to church bulletin inserts that are BLANK and ushers hand out colorful felt pens (20 for $1 at Dollar Tree), and staff meetings where art supplies are distributed to all.
As a result of those many, many reactions I add the additional chapter, The Doodle Factor, to my book HATCH!—at the last minute. (Literally as we were about to go to press. The second half of that chapter is my Fearless Field Guide To Doodling ... Many have said that that chapter was worth the price of the book ... "and I love the entire book, McNair." (This chapter, and the doodle guid is included in the ebook version, eHATCH! )
There is not enough "art" being expressed in our daily lives and there will never be too much art in our world. You can a art, creative expresion, color, play, dance, music, (every staff meet ddmust start with music). President Lincoln all his cabinet meetings with a joke or short story to lighten the mood and pull minds away from the anxieties of the day.
"Go into the arts!" Send me a note, a photo of what happens. I'll post them to inspire others.
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*On a personal note, if you have never read a Kurt Vonnegut novel or short story, get thee to the library, used book shop and grab any of his works and read a few pages.
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