A Heart for the Arts

Do you consider yourself to be creative? When is the last time you let your imagination go wild?

There are so many ways I enjoy delving into my own creative mindset – horses, writing, music, dancing, aimlessly walking and letting my thoughts travel. I also like to draw and paint, even though this is clearly not where my natural talents lie.

I’ve been fortunate in my life to be surrounded by people who enjoy many forms of the arts. Like so many, I’ve experienced others shaming and judging my creative efforts, but luckily not by those whose opinions mattered most.

It is inspiring for me to connect with other people who are tapping into their creativity. They may have a toe in their creative pool or are all out swimming in it – either way, it somehow helps keep my own juices flowing and infuses me with confidence to keep trying.

The Latin word for inspire is īnspīrāre, literally translating to breathe life into another. This definition deeply makes sense to me, but also as a double-edged sword. Our words can act as encouragement, but can also suck life out of another if we are not careful to respect that creative space.

According to researcher, story-teller, author and speaker Dr. Brené Brown, not only are we all creative beings by nature, but if we don’t use that creativity, it metastasizes into a plethora of negative emotions. Check out one of her talks about this “Why Your Critics Aren’t The Ones Who Count”.

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing long-time friend, Sarah Segal-Lazar. Sarah is an actor, musician, writer, director and producer – one of the most prolific artists I know. We talked about her experiences in the performing world, the patience and perseverance it takes to follow our passions, and how important it is to be a positive force and “add a little sparkle in each other’s lives”.

Sarah recently finished acting in the third run of critically acclaimed play Bad Jews, is currently preparing for another run of Don’t Read the Comments at the Montreal Segal Centre in March – a socially provocative play that she wrote and directed – and will be singing tunes with her guitar at Grumpy’s in Montreal January 21st. Check out some of her original music, and her theatre company, Sermo Scomber.

If you can, go see Sarah perform live and let her creativity breathe some life into you, too.

Also, this latest podcast has an updated musical track! Ned Bouhalassa graciously composed and recorded this piece for My Horse Heart – it is thrilling to have this new addition. From my horse heart to yours, thank you, Ned!

Enjoy this week’s interview and soak up some inspiration.

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