Using your creative self-expression to stay connected to your culture

Greetings bicultural friends!

I woke up this morning thinking about art and culture.

More specifically, how our individual creative expression keeps us connected to our personal cultural heritage(s).

How does this show up in the life of a bicultural, as a means to provide emotional support, to keep the spirit alive, to ease the ache of missing in the heart?

I am a firm believer of the notion “there is an artist in all of us”.

From that standpoint I will pose this question:

Have you ever wondered how your creative self-expression connects you to your past?

If you are thinking “what is she talking about, I’m no artist”, I might offer “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. A wonderful book guiding one through the process of discovering the artist and creativity within, based on the idea that this exists inside of each and every one of us and can be cultivated. Writing, drama, theatre, dancing, music, cooking, drawing, photography are just some of the many forms of art.

This also got me thinking about the debate  “are you from where you were born or are you from where you were raised?”. 

I wonder, how does that influence one’s artistic expression?

This is very personal to me, as I have spent my life between two countries & two cultures.

What’s alive for me is that I am from where I was raised so the roots of my artistic expression are more related to that culture.

Currently, and for an extended amount of time, visiting what I will call “homeland of childhood” where I was raised, I find myself experiencing almost every aspect of the culture I so miss when in “homeland of adulthood”, country of birth and full time residence. A photographer at heart, and through my lens, I am collecting everything that will be required to reconnect and keep this essence alive upon return.

Today I was flooded by memories of times in homeland of adulthood as a newly arrived immigrant. An immigrant in principle, even if to the country I was actually born in. Frankly, you are considered an immigrant if you are returning 32 years later. Missing homeland of childhood terribly, I found a way to keep the connection alive through my previous body of photography. Engaging in a process that allowed me to play with the membrane of the film and transfer it onto a porous surface I was transported to familiar landscapes and colors thus keeping the connection alive in moments where I desperately needed to hold on to that part of my identity which felt so very, very far away.

I invite you to think about the presence of art in your life, consider your own artistic expression, how it relates to your culture(s), how it supports you and what it offers you. I hope you're tempted to get curious and look at it from a different perspective!

I would love to hear from you and learn more about how you use your art to stay connected to your culture.

Do you have questions about coaching, or are you curious and want to wet your feet? Book a complimentary session with me to chat or reach out with questions here.