The Art of ... Having Faith in ... by Kathy SimcoxIt all started with the click of a mouse button and a credit card number. The next thing I knew I was sitting in a Broadway theatre in mid
It all started with the click of a mouse button and a credit card number. The next thing I knew I was sitting in a Broadway theatre in mid-town Manhattan watching my first play and having the time of my life. As my eyes feasted on this spectacle, I wondered to myself, how could I do that, too?
Now, as I stand on an empty stage in my own hometown some three years later, anticipating the week’s closing performance, I can’t help but smile. In my mind’s eye I can still see that frightened young woman driving white-knuckled and wide-eyed as her car carried her on a new adventure. During the trip I kept asking myself, why am I doing this? What purpose could traveling alone, 600 miles to a city of millions of people possibly mean in the grand poobah of the universe? Has my mind finally left the world of the sane? What will I find? Let me tell you what I found.
I discovered my heart was a treasure chest overflowing with dreams, dreams I never even knew were there. I found possibilities impatiently aching to be realized; they seemed to be shouting, “It’s about time you finally showed up. Now let us out of here!” My state of mind before the trip would have pushed away those dreams, forever ignored by fear. Now, after this wonderful adventure, I found myself straining to hear more of those voices, pushing me toward new adventures and new dreams. No longer would my mind dwell on the voices of fear. Instead, in would ponder those voices of possibilities and attack them with a clear mind.
In this realm lies the beauty of art. It can be any style of art. Art, to me, is simply creating the expression of one’s soul and sharing that expression with the world. You don’t have to be a tremendously talented person to express yourself successfully. To be truly successful at something, I believe one has to be at least willing to try, regardless of the outcome. A failure is not one who sees possibilities, grabs them, does his/her best with them and doesn’t reach the desired outcome. Indeed, a failure is someone who sees the possibilities, even recognizes hidden opportunities, but does nothing with them because of fear. Fear paralyzes the mind and eventually will conquer the heart. The desire, even the ability to open oneself to the beauty of art, to self-express, will be forgotten.
Think of it this way: Picture yourself at a baseball game. You are the pitcher for the winning team, and the opposing team is up to bat. It’s the bottom of the ninth, your team is ahead three runs and there are three opponents on base, just itching to score. They represent Guilt, Regret, and Anger. The next batter steps to the plate: he represents Fear. The ball you are about to throw represents every Dream in your heart. First the wind-up, then the pitch. Fear connects with your dreams with an earth-shattering crack, and you are left standing, completely helpless, as you watch the ball, your dreams, soar over the fence, never to be realized. Fear and his friends run all the way around the bases. As you watch the last man, Fear, touch home plate, you realize your time has run out, and you and your dreams have lost the battle. You will never have a chance to play this game again.
Following your heart means following your dreams, putting every ounce of God-given strength and faith into something unseen to the naked eye, something that may even seem foolish to those without the faith to try, foolish to those with fear. But when the eyes of the soul look past the fear and gaze upon faith, dreams really can come true. Open your heart to the artist within and the expression of the soul will follow. Then you will truly score.
About the Author Kathy Simcox, Columbus, Ohio, United States hrdude28@hotmail.com Kathy works as an Administrative Assistant in the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University. She holds a BA in Psychology and is currently working on a second BA in Religious Studies. In addition to writing, her passions include hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, and singing in her Lutheran church choir. She is also known to read an occasional book.
