Writer’s Group Prompt: Just Us
The Writer’s Group with Shanna T. Melton is such a sacred creative space and our September 7, 2024 gathering was so open and vulnerable. The prompt was to explore the idea of ‘Just Us’. It is about the times and situations, family, relationships, friendships, etc where an experience is shared and nobody would understand it except the people who lived it first hand. They would say it was ‘Just Us’, we are the only ones who know. The following is my response to this prompt.
Artists
We are the ones who see everything. I tell people, who are unaware that they create, how I see the world. The many shades of many colors that make up one. They often look at me curious, just seeing it as ‘blue’ was sufficient. Within the blue I see the white, gray, deeper and lighter hues of blue, some blues are dull or vibrant and all are useful when blending and layering and adding depth. They say it must be hard to navigate the world seeing so much detail. I respond in agreement. Also, I would not trade it for anything. When I say this among artists, painters, creatives they break down the colors they see. They look at me like ‘duh’, or with excitement and the kind of curiosity that wonders what I see that may be different. They don’t even question why I see it at all because it is something just for us. This layered, vibrant, blended world of color is safely manipulated in our creative minds, our like minds. Our hands organically curve to hold the brush and the spirit of our imagination pours onto the canvas. Absent of our insecurities and determined to exist outside of the cage we built to protect it from judgment. Only we know how exposed it feels when someone stands beside us with their interpretation, understanding, misunderstanding, body of experiences that pulls them into the work in ways we never considered. Only we know, in those moments, that we must allow it to exist in the world and be subjected to the eyes so it can be heard. Only we know what it takes to straighten our fingers and step away because our work is done. It is the most holy moment when we take a look at it and say, ‘it is good’.
