Sunday, September 23, 2007
Betsy Damon
While reading about Betsy Damon I could not help but think how you can compare what she does with what so many people would love to do. She was able to quit her "stable" life/career. She was able to actually do what she wanted to do and try to make a difference. There are so many people living life and working at jobs that they do not like or do not do to the fullest because they are unhappy. Betsy Damon was able to break the mold and do something good for herself and do something for the environment. Luckily, she was positively percepted and therefore could continue with a career that she enjoyed.
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3 comments:
Thanks for posting that Michele. I liked the reading, what I liked so much is not that she did this that she was able to quit her normal day to day life, almost what is expected from people in society today, but that she was able to do something more. That she set a standard for others to follow. That she would not be tied down, unhappy in a job, just to do it. Rather she was pursuing something she loved. And more than that, she was making a difference. I really liked this, I read it earlier and it reminded me of things that I want to do in life. It helped to encourage me in what I do. I do not want to have a job just to have one, I want to make a difference, and I think I did that this weekend. My friend and I started a group called Supplication. We basically reach out to people, all people, feed the homeless, love the poor and converse with people we would never talk to in our day to day lives, just having a job or going to class. I like that she is so passionate about the environment, I am, too, so it made me happy to read something about someone who enjoys the same things I do. I hope that what we as students can get from this article, is to be able to know that we can do what our hearts are in. We can reach out, we can break the mold and not have to live by today's society standards.
-Catie
I agree with you both in that I found this reading so encouraging--to really SEEK OUT what you want to do and go for it with your full heart. It sounds like it might be easy to do that, but as college students who will be out in the "workforce" very soon, I think we can all see how much easier it would be to just go with the flow and have a certain career just because we're "supposed to" or because it pays well and has benefits. Her actions to me show incredibly bravery. I was also impressed by how humble Damon seems, even after accomplishing so much. For instance, she recognized that the completion and success of her Living Water Garden is thanks to the efforts of many: the project directors, the contructions teams, and others...even the water!
Catie, I think the group you and your friend have started is fantastic. I hope you'll keep us informed about it! :]
I love that Betsy pointed out that success is calibrated based on income, the number of solo exhibitions, and the mention of art in the press. This idea is not only skewed but incredibly hard to live up to if you are a passionate artist, particularly an activist as well. Not all artists strive to be limited to a museum or gallery, and many don't even care about profit. They do it for the love of it. I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with Cristo and his wife Jean Claude, but they believe a lot of what Betsy is saying. They have freed themselves from curators and sponsors, re-evaluated the environment in which art is shown, have brought about a new energy and context with many of their works including The Islands. Their work becomes more intimate; not allowing financial gain to be the important factor when creating their works. If you haven't seen The Islands you should really check it out.
Additionally, what Catie said about Supplication regarding "conversing with people one would never talk to in our day to day lives", was awesome. The Women's Coalition is planning on working at a soup kitchen in Nov. or Dec.; but our idea was more or less to just learn from the less fortunate. It's more than just supplying them with what they need; it's about really listening to and learning from them.
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