Art Making As An Act of Rebellion

“You were wild once, don’t let them tame you!” Isadora Duncan

1980 Rockabilly girl - trying on a new persona.

I first arrived in London, 1980, the English punk years having just crested like a spiky crimson mohawk. A still preppy Boston girl looking for her nice-girl exit, I was eager for big change and was thrown into the deep end as the only Yank art student at the University of East London.

At the time, East London was dreary and bleak, not the trendy White Cube arty part of town it is today. It was raw and edgy, but I loved it and felt I was home.

In my efforts to shed my former cheerleader persona, I buzzed my hair and shopped the local cheap vintage and charity shops. My local boyfriend completed my transformation and brought me into the belly of then Thatcher-era London.

This was when my first (of many) about-faces began, where nothing short of radical change would do. I would no longer be the same girl who left the old shore for the new one. Nothing would have changed had I not pushed against the status quo and rebelled against others expectations. And yes, there was pushback. But there was no turning back for me.

Rebellion isn’t all teenage punk snarl, middle finger to the world. It can come in subtle but powerful ways, barely perceptible to others, as a clear self-commitment to what sets your sail into the wind toward a new world. And when it comes to the creative process, each authentic brush stroke is brave and potentially dangerous. The ego will resist at all cost.

Acting out your deepest self is by nature an act of rebellion. It takes courage to buck convention, to trust yourself enough to chart your own course, come what may. Staying safe in the familiar only leads to more of the familiar.

Committing to a creative practice for no other reason than to discover your own unique possibilities, is the beginning of a lifelong adventure into your own soul’s journey. Avoid the nay-sayers - both the external ones and, more importantly, your own relentless internal critic. They will never cease. Let them have their opinions, but do not let them deter you.

Stay strong and fierce in your commitment to your fullest expression, regardless of how others see it. This is the truest act of rebellion. Shine on!

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PS. I’m currently reading Mel Robbin’s book The Let Them Theory. I highly recommend it for learning ways to respond with grace when others may try to tame you!