Glinda the Good Witch of the South and Dorothy on the yellow brick road to the magical land of Oz...
Okay, more interview aftermath to discuss with you my dear readers. Some of you may be asking… if you watched or heard the radio excerpt of my interview … why the tears? I have to admit, after I poured out the water works, I felt terribly embarrassed. After weeks of rehearsing answering potentially emotion-filled interview questions with regards to my late father, lost brother and friends of old whom I’ve discussed through my journal pages, I thought for sure I’d be able to hold back the tears and give a professional interview. I even told my friend Wendy Southin and my husband Kevin, who generously gave their time to help me review answers, that there was no way I was crying! In my private life, some of you know what a hyper-sensitive soul I am; it doesn’t take much to get me misty-eyed, but there’s also another side of me that’s (who is that woman? I always ask!) always terribly calm, collected and cool when I need to be. So, now that I think about it, I guess there really was a fifty-fifty chance of me delivering an emotional response whether I wanted to or not! As well as Liana Voia’s question about one of my favourite childhood stories: The Wizard of Oz… one I hadn’t prepared myself for, through me for a loop…
To begin with I was deeply affected by the way Liana conducted the interview… so thoughtfully. I was so impressed that she’d taken much time to acquaint and engage herself with my work. I was also touched by how perceptively she understood what drove the heart of my work and that she respected it. I have worked many years to develop my oeuvre as a visual artist, and when someone I don’t know very well regards my journey, with such great empathy and appreciation, it never fails to surprise me.
When I first learned to “speak” with art as a visual language, there was no question that I wanted to excavate and present my personal history; so much of which was highly emotional and tension-filled. My past, at times was so wretched, I felt I needed to get it out of my system… not with anger or vengeance towards those who had hurt me, but always through some graceful, beautiful means. I knew others had and would be encountering similar issues in their lives so I hoped sharing my pain and point of view might prove cathartic for them as well; through the feedback I get about my art, I feel this is very much the case. And, where was I going with all this? Oh yes, to Oz…
The lack of communication in my childhood home resulted in an adult who whole-heartedly embraced opening up and discussing problematic issues. In this regard, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my family (and still do). Uncovering the world of art and its healing potential was truly my Mecca. Liana’s understanding of the struggles of a young, sensitive immigrant girl who could not turn to her family or friends for help touched a tender spot in my soul. You see this little East Indian immigrant girl found a kindred spirit in the film character of a similar young white girl from Kansas, Dorothy, in L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. Just thinking of Dorothy singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” always chokes me up. Like her, I often dreamed of running away from home to a better place, but a tornado didn’t carry me away, art did. It’s funny but I never knew what the depths of my passion was for this song until I thought about it for split second longer than I usually do when I began to respond to Liana’s question and it sent forth a floodgate of memories, emotions and tears…
What raced through my mind, you must wonder?… well… me, unable to feel at home in Canada or even call India and Pakistan my home… in fact, over a decade ago while researching the history of my parents’ lives in India, I discovered I was born into a race of people who have no geographical territory on the Subcontinent to call home. Some say home is where the heart is; being at home makes you feel like you belong, safe, accepted and loved; maybe that’s why it’s so important to so many of us. Through this long life journey, I’ve discovered that my sense of home will always only truly exist in the world of my imagination and manifest itself through my art. In my Oz world of art, I’ve met my share of tin men, cowardly lions and brainless scarecrows; witches (good, bad and indifferent)… and I’ve even met up with a Wizard as well (he lives in France now). Most importantly, I’ve discovered, like Dorothy and her friends that the things I’ve longed for have always been inside me all along. All I’ve had to do to make them real was/is to have the courage to conjure them into existence… collage them forth from my soul to discover who I really am and to re-create a sense of the world/home through my memories, wishes and dreams.
So all this and more sped through my head and heart as I cried on live public blog talk radio! Afterwards, Kevin, Liana and a number of my friends assured me they didn’t mind me crying at all; in fact, they found it a natural, sincere and touching response. So I guess I really have nothing to be embarrassed about. Thanks again to all of you who’ve sent your thoughts and encouraging words about the interview. I went in with new-found confidence because of your support – it’s been so good to feel the warmth of your kindness.
To Come: Stay tuned for the next weeks topics which will include tips for choosing characters for your collages as well as discussing the fine art of Zentangles!
Other Related Links:
Michelle Casey February 2013 Blog Talk Radio Interview (See last video)
Salman Rushdie: The Wizard of Oz: An Appreciation
Kermit the Frog Singing “The Rainbow Connection”
Neatorama Movie Trivia: The Wizard of Oz
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