nzingha
Nzingha born Nzinga S. Job, April 2nd 1981, in Nairobi, Kenya to Trinbagonian parents. A typical Aries with strong sense of leadership, solid opinions and deep passions and convictions, I chose to try the 30dac to enhance my ability to create, knowing that I love creating and that it is what I want to do with my life, and it is easiest to use words as a medium, since other materials are harder to come by (paint, photographs of what I paint or draw, film, etc.)
I felt very suffocated at work artistically as well and it was a welcome creative outlet. I think the best thing about it was feeling that I had become familiar with what it would mean to be a professional artist making art every single day, and how it would change my creative process, which up until then had definitely been a matter of chance and mood. It showed me that being an artist required more organizational and logistical skill than I had imagined. I would have to schedule recharging sessions, rest and relaxation and meditation would not be 'luxuries' for a professional artist. You need time to digest thoughts and process them into actual art work; being by yourself and thinking and being rested enough to do that in a way that ends up producing art, is not 'doing nothing' in the least. It's impossible to make good art every day without it no matter how talented you are. That's what I learnt.
The worst thing was feeling swamped and knowing that I could do better work if only I was not so tired or sleepy at the time. I didn't get the full benefit of looking at the work of others because of limited time, but I enjoyed trying to find images to match my poems. Some images were themselves inspiring and participating in the challenge thus inadvertently gave me ways to overcome creative blocks. I wish someone had started giving me this when I was six and wanted to be a cartoonist and painter. I have so much baggage to work through now, although at times it's become easy to tell myself to let go the bitterness of missed opportunities that so tardily now raise their golden heads. AM grateful, but still hateful that these blessings did not come earlier and allow me creative self-sufficiency before I reached childbearing age. But I expect continued practice will heal the hurt that spawns hate.
Marilyn Holzmann
Trinidad and Tobago