This post was written by Krissy Smith who led a dance workshop during the 2018 I Am Art camp in Magdalena, Milpas Altas.
My workshop group presented a dance routine which was not the originally planned presentation—but we went with it.
We had approximately 3 minutes and 20 seconds for a dance routine to sum up all that we walked through together that week. Most of the girls were shy during the final performance and didn’t move as “largely” as they did during the week. But I could relate. As I grew up, I’ve always had a problem with moving “largely” in my pursuit of music and dance. But there was a sentence in the I AM ART Manual that stuck with me. “Creativity is about process, rather than product.” So while, to the public, we presented 3 minutes and 20 seconds of a dance routine (where I was more focused on smiling at the girls to alleviate their fears than the routine) it was actually the process that really impacted us all. And isn’t it that way for many of the truly valuable things of life? Our friendships/relationships, the pursuit of our passions, the development of our own being, our walk with the Lord…
It’s the process which reveals the most while simultaneously being hidden from the public eye. The process which can’t fully be presented on our own accord because it is often the hand of God that designs it for us. The process which is often the core piece of the artwork that we can’t take credit for because, most of the time, we intended to compose the process differently than how it actually occurred. The process which acts as a complementary shade behind the artwork which makes the product THAT much more intimate and beautiful, especially for the artist (and sometimes the audience). The process that hurts, challenges and builds us. The process which, through its unexpected hills and valleys, serves as a reminder of God’s voice saying “Soy El Artista.” And through that process God smiles at us, urging us to carry on. The product we present to the world—the process happens to us.
So maybe the 3 minutes and 20 seconds was more a celeb
ration of our process than a presentation of a final product. Or maybe it was a reminder that the product we create is often merely a glimpse of the process God designed. I hope that myself, the girls, Anita, Daniela, and the rest of the kids at the school and team members of the Soy Arte Camp continue to carry on all that God has placed on our hearts as His will, most importantly as we continue to shine as his own works of art.
We have 3 more wonderful camps this fall! Click on I AM ART below to view the details!