Rediscovering Art, Music, and Myself

My viola!

The past few months have been a vibrant immersion in the arts, from gallery contemplations to powerful symphony evenings.

These environments are, for me, a return to a cherished home. My recent return to a concert at my local symphony marks a significant moment, given years have passed since my last attendance at a venue where I once danced extensively in its holiday production—a memory I look forward to sharing more fully. Concurrently, I've rekindled my association with the art museum where I gained formative experience as a university intern. My deepest affections have always resided with the visual arts and classical music, a connection I now perceive, rather unexpectedly, as having roots in my early encounters with cartoons. I was raised on reruns of Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes, their narratives frequently punctuated by classical pieces, whether it was Tom's onstage piano performances or Bugs Bunny's delightful operatic lampoons. This early exposure paved the way for moments in grade school music class where a familiar tune would resonate, instantly transporting me, or where a new composition would utterly captivate my focus. In art class, the presence of classical music often fostered an environment in which I could become entirely absorbed in my creative endeavors, transported to a personal realm. I vividly remember the profound emotional response that compelled me to interpret the music's essence through paint. Though too young to articulate such feelings, I was undeniably experiencing a state of serene bliss.

Me, attending an art event earlier this spring.

Fast forward to January 2024: immersed in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, I embarked on a profound rediscovery of myself, both as an artist and as a person. Now, I'm diving deeper into my city's vibrant arts and culture scene, not only through continued visits to art galleries, museums, and concerts, but also by getting my own hands dirty with paint, clay, or charcoal and finding solace in playing my viola. These experiences are helping to fuel and enrich my artistic rebirth. While returning after such a long hiatus can feel a bit intimidating, the connection, I'm learning, is never truly lost; it simply waits to be reawakened.