Alain de Botton
In general terms I daresay this quote could refer to life (one of the three topics I circle around and ponder on these Thursday Thoughts of mine). However, I immediately responded to it by thinking about my work as a maker and the artwork I make.
The words seem so perfectly apt for me - I certainly never feel as if I fit into some proper description of artist or maker; I am not a painter or a drawer; not really a printmaker; and I am never going to be a person who involves landscape much; or portraiture.
My own true north in my work is all about women and feminism, social justice, nature, and peace.
And how important is that acceptance of our own true North? How critical is it to us creating honest work of integrity? Work that truly reflects ourselves, our yearnings, our fears our anger?
The way de Botton describes 'the needle of his curiosity' is delightful and I can imagine so much the person he refers to following his interests and his passions - being guided by his inner compass.
I rely heavily on my inner compass, my sense of 'knowing' or intuition, and I think is as true as true north, for me.
my dad loved to use the phrase "steady as she goes" as he sailed his little Sunfish around West Neck Harbor ... easier said than done as winds and tides are wont to shift ... but you are unfailingly true to your heart's compass, as is so amply documented here and on your website
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz, that's very kind. I have found the older I get, the less I can be anything else except me; and that sense of true north is a consent guide. I like steady as she goes...I can almost see his hand on the tiller, adjusting for the circumstances but keeping his course. Go well.
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