Tuesday, February 16, 2010

the quality of a line / the quality of life


As a junior in college, ALL those many years ago, I was completely immersed in studio work. I loved it!! At the same time, my sister was in nursing school. This struck me as a much more noble profession. BUT………I am a big time fainter when it comes to things medical, so I concluded it probably was not the career path for me. Once I poked my head in the office door of my favorite professor and out of the blue, asked, “When there are people out there researching a cure for cancer, is it right for me to be spending my days struggling with the quality of a line?” Without missing a beat, he said, “Scientists are working to prolong life. Art elevates the quality of life.” Is this a question he had pondered himself? Did he just blurt out the first thing that came into his mind?? I guess I’ll never know. But with that quick response, he gave me permission to be who I am. I have been revisiting that conversation lately while working in my studio. Probably because of all of the strife I am hearing about in Haiti and elsewhere. Sure hope he was right……….

No comments: