People can create art no matter how terrible their lives are. The Smithsonian Museum, in its mission to tell the American story, now has an exhibit of the art created by some of the 120,000 Japanese who lived in the western United States during World War II and were sent by the government to internment camps — more than two-thirds were American citizens by birth. According to the Smithsonian, ”Despite the harsh conditions, many internees found the will to make beautiful objects — chairs, dolls, tools — from scrap and indigenous materials…These works,” says the Smithsonian, ”help us understand art’s healing power as they remind us of tragically misguided actions by our government in the heat of war.” The exhibit is called ”The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946.” The word ”gaman” means to bear the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience. (See Smithsonian.com/gaman)
Each of us can create something beautiful, something meaningful from the pain and hurt we feel. Sometimes, it is an entry in our journal, sometimes a poem, sometimes a drawing or sketch. In writing many of my books, I did so at times of great turmoil and upset as a way to find some comfort and peace and understanding. One of my books resulted from my sister’s being confied to a hospital and the terrible upset I felt at her plight; another resulted from my brother’s lingering death as I tried to come to terms with losing him.
What about you? What have you created from your heart’s pain? Please share with us.
