As I wrote in “Tempo – The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist“:
My creations are perhaps the best of me, the most optimistic view of me. Through my art I journey from our complex world to a place I better understand, for I have had a larger hand in its making. My canvas, my words, are my sanctuary of solace from weaknesses, insecurities, disappointments, strifes and petty jealousies. My creations are also my way of acceptance and of wishing, of expressing passion, of shouting this is wonderful or unfair, this needs attention, this must be enjoyed or changed.
Through my work I can transport myself, and I hope you, to a more carefree place or to a realm of contemplation. For that is another facet of my work – it is my reaching out to you. I hope my work provides a bridge to my life from yours, from the common threads of that which I have needed to accept, or wish to have in my life, to the complex weave of your past, your present and future. For the brief moments you read my words, you see my art, you are giving my life the gift of blending with yours, and for that, I Thank You.
The act of creating is my way of inhaling this life through my perceptions and exhaling through my hands, as intuitive, reflexive and nearly fundamental to me as each breath I take. The decision to create is not a decision for me – I would create whether or not people value my creations, just as I would breathe whether or not a given breath I take engenders applause. I wish to create something great in the world’s eyes, but even if that is never possible, I believe I shall nonetheless always create for … it must out. I cannot forever inhale without exhaling, or else some part of me, perhaps even all of me, would surely suffocate.
Creating is automatic and difficult to stifle – I see something and am inspired to celebrate its spirit, borrow from its essence, or comment on its presence. Creating is also my way of sharing my excitement of being with the world, and of being in harmony in our world. In each work, in some way, I comprehend and communicate the soul of what I experience, or what I wish could be. As I create I am lost in that work, in what “is.” Oddly, once the work is done, it is almost as if someone else created it – the work becomes akin to a lost photo of a distant vacation unexpectedly found – triggering something real in my heart yet intangible in definition – a slice of a past life captured within four corners of canvas, by its nature destined to shine from that canvas to express the “me” as I was in that moment, to the “you” as you are today. When people like my work it is like a personal affirmation of who I am, at my very core.
Thinking about art and how it connects us throughout time, no matter where we are, inspired me to write the following poem:
Undiscovered dreams
an unexpected journey
Drifting along memories and hopes
a sweet yearning
Of what could be
Should be
May still
All there for my eye to see
In this painting
On the wall.
The above thoughts and poem reprinted from “Tempo – The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist.” (c) and trademark by M. Nicole van Dam. All Rights Reserved.
Following is a televised reading of one of my short stories “Nessie” that was televised five times in 2017. In this short story, I had fun juxtaposing the traditional with modern and futuristic themes.
Following are day-to-day thoughts from Nicole – ENJOY!
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