For the Artists in Fine Arts Studio
University of Mount
Olive
September 22, 2016 (Revised
August 23, 2017)
Have you ever thought
about tress and artists being alike? Me neither. Not until a friend of mine
shared a link to a TED Talk - How Trees
Talk to Each Other by Suzanne Simard. I hope you will take the time to view
the video. For your convenience, the link is attached at the end of this
writing. As I watched the video, I thought of the trees in our yard and you, the
artists in Fine Arts Studio. Your connections are real and powerful. Please
allow me to share with you how I see these connections.
A couple of years ago we
had two huge pecan trees removed. One tree had become hollow and was unstable.
The second grew right up against the unstable one with limbs limited on one
side. The off-balance growth made the trees vulnerable to winds and storms. As
the hollowed tree’s roots decomposed, the root system of the healthy tree began
to lose her stronghold. With the removal of the trees, we now enjoy a sense of
ease when storms come our way.
Nevertheless, this ease
goes only so far! I have been watching the surrounding trees respond to the
loss of the two majestic pecan trees. Surely, they would notice the loss. And
they have. As if grieving over the loss of their sister trees, the other trees
did not look as healthy for the first year. They seemed shocked. I would walk under
them and talk to them and “will” them to recover. The chestnut trees looked less
robust which caused me to wonder at their future. Eventually, the maple trees (who
had struggled and turned away from the shade of the pecan trees) have taken on new
life and fullness. They are standing stronger and straighter. They are enjoying
the sun as never before.
There is both healing
and struggle as a consequence of the loss of the two pecan trees and more
importantly, to the underlying connection the trees have with each other. The
chestnut trees have recovered and seem to find strength from the growing and
hopeful maples. I have watched the ground for areas of collapsing soil, areas
of underground decay, and for signs of life in the new outgrowths of mushrooms.
What a wonder this underground life force must be!
As Simard discussed,
trees communicate by sharing with each other. They share carbon and water as
well as other nutrients. Trees do this through their root systems, often with
the aid of mycelium and their massive thread-like branches called hyphae. I
never knew such a conversation was going on underneath my feet as I walked
across our yard. While I have heard of the importance of walking barefoot to
feel the energy of the earth beneath my feet, I now view the importance of
being in nature in a new way. Walking among trees is a healing experience! As I
see the connections of the trees in my yard, I see connections between us as
artists.
As with the energy shared by a
forest, we share energy. I am aware of this powerful underlying energy field
when I walk into the studio classroom.
We have discussed our personality
types as a means to better understand our shared energy. Being the most
uncommon personality type, an INFJ (Introvert-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging), I
learned from an early age that I see, intuit and feel the world around me in a different
way from most people. I approach your class as an empathic, intuitive, seeing
and seeking instructor and have been given the responsibility to nurture and
protect your creative spirits.
While I realize some of you may not
be able to sense the energy of others - the emotional state, needs, fears, desires
and satisfactions - we all struggle against negative outside forces such as egotistic,
self-absorbed, controlling and harsh intentions. I believe negative actions and
words are based on fear and a lack of self-acceptance. Out of this fear based
place, one can spread fear to others.
As referenced in the video, I feel I
am the empathic hub tree sending much needed oxygen, water and energy to the
seedlings, the young artists. Ways to accomplish this can be confusing and
exhausting at times. Many questions haunt me. Are we not called to support each
other, to feed each other and to avoid overshadowing another, even if she or he
is a “student”? Being a part of your creative journey reveals to me new ways, approaches
and ideas. I am as much a student as are you.
It is important to be mindful of our
lives, our words and our actions. As negative energy comes my way, I try to be
compassionate for the needs of the source of the negative energy and if the
experience “bothers” me in some way, to ask myself what the experience reveals
about me. What can I learn from the experience?
So,
how do I help you tap into your shared energy so as to stand strong against
negative forces, be they external or internal?
Limiting approaches to creativity
is like clear cutting of trees in the forest. Planting one type of tree in the
wake of the destruction makes for an unhealthy forest. As with the cutting of
trees, I see in other artists, the need to claim that one approach over another
is the one and only truly creative approach to art. While I see that these
claims are born out of self-doubt and fear, I am left with a perplexing challenge
as to how to send nutrients to you so you can thrive and grow and avoid being
overshadowed by the fear-based ideas of others. My goal is for you to know who
you are as artists so you can avoid feeling “lost” after you graduate.
So my daily challenge is how to best
nurture the space we share and to create a healthy environment. Diversity is
the key, as in the forest. Respecting and nurturing diversity is a good goal
for us all.
Creativity is natural to us as
humans. Creativity is energy. I believe creativity is God within us, sustaining
us, giving us life and purpose. I feel God’s presence best when I am in the
silence of a creative act.
How
would you describe your creative energy?
My challenge to you is to be aware
of the creative energy you bring to the studio space and to claim an
affirmative statement to read to yourself as a centering, life affirming
practice. Please remember that we have a shared energy field. We will learn
together how best to support each other, to be compassionate with each other
and to help each other grow.
How Trees Talk to Each Other
– Suzanne Simard
