When I was younger, my mom would always tell me to write when I felt confused or hurt or angry. She would say that once I could start putting everything inside of me into some language that made sense to me, that in the creation, I would start to understand myself more. I often think of this as ‘creating myself to freedom.’
In this creating, I have found that I can ground myself. I feel angry so often about the state of things in the world. And if I were to rest myself in that anger, I would stay in a space of destruction. It’s too exhausting to sit in a space of destruction. It eats away at health and happiness. Instead, I focus on creating. This grounds me in a space of building. I have always found the arts to be a site of healing and resisting for me — healing from pain and resistance of all the world throws at me that is aimed to harm me. Some people march, I move through creating art, whether it’s on a page or on a stage. And I want that for others as well. A few months ago, I had a thought about doing a show that would be a series of 5minute one-woman shows on the theme “this is my body”, and I shared that idea with two friends who loved it. So we decided to produce the show. We now have 11 amazing women who have committed to perform in the show.
Last Monday we met those women for the first time. I knew it would be a fun evening of getting to know each other, but I was blown away by their presence. They were not only incredibly engaging, but also entered the space with a level of vulnerability that astounded me. There they were, opening up about their fears, their hopes, failures and successes with a group of strangers. I have to believe that is the power of creating together. The best art comes from the spaces of we weave together with the most honest of threads.
I recently started fasting on Mondays with a friend from church. We share reflections from our focus on prayer and meditation for the day. In my reflection after meeting the women who will be in the show, I said to my friend, “Today I felt God lifted my spirits. I heard His voice on a day that seemed like it would be quiet, and yet He sent me these extraordinary women to share this show with. I’m strong because I’m lifted up by people who remind me to keep going.”
If you are in the Bay Area and want to check out the show, check out the Facebook event page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/168976710391016/
Odelia Younge 