by Debra Hillard
We tend to confine our truth to the few places we feel safe to let ourselves be free. Early on in life, most of us learned to adapt our wild and unique selves to fit what others expected of us and was deemed acceptable by our culture. Teachers, peers, the media, all give us feedback on what is OK and what’s not.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us are walking around as watered-down versions of our true selves, our uniqueness cloaked in socially acceptable forms.
This has been true for myself throughout a good part of my life. I was a wild child with “crazy” thoughts and notions. My view of life couldn’t be grasped by those around me let alone supported. Sometimes I ponder what my life might have been like had I been appreciated for the unique sensibilities and perceptions I had as a kid. I certainly would have saved myself a lot of pain and struggle. I dare say the world might even have embraced me sooner had I been able to openly be myself and share my uniqueness with others rather than my failed attempts at fitting in.
That brings me to my art, the truest expression of my soul. It was discarded and dismissed when I was younger. Now I share it with the world and celebrate my unique expression of life. I see and feel things in my own unique way. I sense things that others might miss. My sensitivity to the energy on the earth is high. That can be the greatest gift ever and it can also make living in the mainstream of our culture very challenging.
Creating my art requires silencing external stimulation. I need quiet—less input, more solitude. It is vital to surround myself with nature. More often than not, I must say no to social engagements, travel, and phone calls. No matter how beautiful, music can often feel like an intrusive noise. All of this is hard for others to grasp. It took me most of my life to understand this about myself and honor my differences. Now I celebrate it as the aspect of me that has the ability to create my work as well as feel the earth and the animals and other people’s souls as I do.
This aspect of myself, this gift, enables me to tune into others and know what they are feeling and needing, to sense their truth at times before they know it themselves. It allows me to sense someone’s essence and translate that into visual form. I can’t tell you how I do that. It’s an ability I’ve had that is a gift of my high degree of sensitivity to energy. I have been able to create for others what they couldn’t express for themselves and out of that their souls shine in images I would never have painted for myself.
The process also allows me the opportunity for a deeper connection with another person beyond what we usually share with one another. That communion with another and with the spirit that flows through my hands as a result, adds a dimension to my work that is precious and sacred.
If you would love a piece of art that expresses your truth, a piece that reminds you every day of who you are and the uniqueness that only you have to share, I would be honored to use the gift that I have been given to help you express your own.
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