Kyla Becker
The Broadside
First things first, I’d like to thank everybody who supported my vision of the Artist Inbox. The interviews, the comments, and the support in the article’s creation have been invaluable to me. So again, thank you all.
When I came up with the Artist Inbox, my vision was to write about every aspect of art. I wanted to shine a light on the student artists at our school, the professors that encourage and inspire these students, and the community members that are fixtures of the art environment that is so prominent here in Bend.
What I did not realize was that in my efforts to fulfill my vision, I would myself become a part of the story. I have met amazing people, incredible artists, and stumbled upon awe inspiring art programs.
The stories that followed are my tribute to these people and these programs that have done so much and so well.
These experiences have motivated me to become more artistic, more imaginative, and to do more for the community. In truth, I am not much of an artist. I doodle here and there and love to play with colors, but I would not consider myself a skilled artist by any means. My art is the written word. It’s very close to my heart and is my contribution to the community.
One of my favorite things is picking up a good read and coming away from it inspired. One such book I started reading recently is by a woman named Sharon Salzberg. The book is entitled Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness.
In it I found a quote that has summed upwmy experience as author of the ArtistwInbox quite well:
“The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit; and habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings.” – The Buddha
My desire to write my own column manifested my ideas for the Artist Inbox, the column itself created my desires to be a part of the art community, these desires developed the habit of toeing the waters of the Bend art community, and now I have fallen hopelessly in love and
want to do all that I can to aid that community in growing and remaining strong.
In short, writing the Artist Inbox has made my dreams come true. I feel I have finally fulfilled a major goal in my life and it has helped me grow as a person. Meeting all the extraordinary people that I have, seeing all of the amazing art has inspired me to do things I have never thought I would do.
That is why I am going to continue the Artist Inbox over this coming summer in an online blog, and later into a freelance publication staffed by many of the great people I have met along the Artist Inbox journey.
For all the readers out there who wish to keep up on their weekly Artist Inbox, visit artistinboxonline.blogspot.com.
You may contact Kyla Becker at [email protected]
