Friday 23 August 2013

graduates - authentic artworks - happy students

My senior art class are nearing the end of our time together. I have enjoyed teaching them immensely and find that they have all jumped a gap in the past few months. The knowledge that their world is about to be redesigned is both daunting and exciting. I have encouraged them above all, to be authentic beings. To be true to oneself can make us periodically unpopular, difficult to be around and restless until we figure it all out. Of course, it takes decades. All the self-help books, slogans, platitudes and outside advice serves to stir some ancient truth in us, but making art and writing from the heart are two of the valuable practices that will ensure the quest resonates with something close to joy. I do wish them well and am cheerfully grateful for what they each have taught me in return.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Gay Marriage is a right...bullying isn't

How foolish is it that we as a nation are so crippled by the comments against gay marriage by non-gays that are being thrown into the debate? Are we heterosexual people really such an authority on the needs and rights of those who feel differently to us? Do we have a right to continue to make decisions on behalf of a percentage of society who are adults, employees, graduates, tradespeople, teachers, students, professionals or simply people and law-abiding citizens? Is it as if the Gay Community are children - not yet mature enough to own an opinion about their personal welfare? Check out the overall behaviour of the people who are pretending to know who should be allowed to marry? How laughable that many of the individuals who are barking on about how wrong gay marriage is are rather 'badly married'?! Should we look closely at the issue and note that the percentage of men and women who wish to live in partnership with someone of the same gender is irrelevant and they should not be referred to as a 'minority group'? I have naturally curly hair, am left-handed, have obvious OCD traits, am not at all fat and don't like eating lollies. Am I in a minority group? I think so! Everyone needs to stop making discriminatory excuses, scrutinise their own social/relationship/parenting/ecological crimes/addictions and other nationally damaging habits and demand marriage equality. Then the mewing pollies can start to be real Politicians instead of pseudo gate-keepers.
It is really just...Bullying....