Growing Pains
I have mentioned her work before. Sarah Bettens is one of my favorite modern artists. My first experience with her music was due to a link on a myspace page of another musician I respect. I emailed her a question about one of her songs, she responded, and I was hooked. She is an incredible artist.
My mom use to tell me that she could sense my moods by the songs I played as I came home from school each day. She monitored my emotion by just listening to the the albums spin (yeah, I am that old), or the turning of the radio dial and what I let it land on, or what I hummed working on projects or swinging outside. Music does that for me. Writing does that for me. Reading does that for me. Art does that for me. It is a thermometer for my emotional state and those who love me can generally read me if they pay any attention at all.
There are certain places I always turn to during growth spurts when I am too overwhelmed to speak. L’Engle’s writings. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Fox, from The Little Prince, is my definition of friendship. Brennan Manning’s views of grace. Ken Gire’s view of the sacredness of each man. Marc Chagall’s paintings. Jean Arp’s sculptures. The BBC version of Anne of Green Gables or the Disney’s version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Recently Schwartz, Holzman, and Mantello’s Broadway musical Wicked.
Some musical artists that are my northern stars when I’m lost are Carolyn Arends, Andrew Peterson, Brandi Carlile, and Sarah Bettens. Those who know me, know that I am a muller and thinker. I’m not always as Pollyanna on the inside as I am on the outside. I think that’s just the way it is. These artists help me along …with a few others.
My latest growth spurt has provoked me to relate to this song of Ms. Bettens. I respect and appreciate her and her work very much. I am grateful for the depths of this song.
Filed under: art, life, music, purpose on February 25th, 2010
Leave a Reply