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About
the Site
A Special Note to Teens
and the Young at Heart
About
the site and the creative process
More
about the creative process
Contributors
Image
and photo credits
About the publisher
Contact us
In
a world
where rageful and self-centered feelings are exploding around us everyday
in random acts of violence, emotional abuse, hate crimes, and now
something called "ethnic cleansing," thoughtful and caring people
must find time to ask why... and to seek solutions. In many ways,
this seeking is a special task for teens and young people.
Know
thyself
You
are entering the world with the fresh viewpoint of your generation,
with something unique and positive to contribute to our evolving culture.
In order to make the truest contribution possible, you
must also learn as much as you can about your identity, desires, and
values. It can be very difficult to hold on to your own viewpoint
amidst the well-meaning, but intrusive advice of your peers and your
elders, not to mention the chaos and confusion of our planet!
If you can lay a foundation of detached and clear seeing, an understanding
of your thought processes, and an ability to tap into your intuitive
knowing, you will bend but not break in the storms of life. So often,
it is our emotions and our lack of self-knowledge that trip us up.
Developing
empathy
In some ways, our educational system is failing us by failing to acknowledge
our emotions, soul experiences, and spirituality. How else are we
going to develop empathy for others or a sense of the common threads
within our differences?
A deep understanding of your own psychological processes and spiritual
nature is essential for the foundation you are laying, no matter what
your age. I know of no better way to explore this part of yourself
than in studying the arts.
By participating in the creative process, you will learn many things
about yourself and your world. Patience, discipline, imagination,
the overcoming of obstacles, learning through experimentation and
by making mistakes. All these are the special province of the creative
in all fields of endeavor. Asking the questions even if we have no
answers is valuable. Most of all, we need to learn what inspiration
is, how to open to it, and how to maintain a connection to its Source
throughout our lifetime.
The
great adventure
This is a time you can embark on the great adventure of knowing yourself.
If you choose not to take on the quest now, there will be other opportunities
in your life to do so. However, there will also be more distractions,
more pressures, more people, and more responsibilities to take you
away from the journey.
I would like to offer you encouragement
and inspiration as one who has encountered many storms, crises, and
difficulties. When you work through these things in your art, it
can be shocking to encounter your own pain and suffering. It can
also be a most beautiful experience to discover again the basic goodness
of life.
Faith, hope, and love are the great pillars
of this process and are the currency of this site. With these, you,
too, can flourish.
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