As we sink into the winter with our theme focus on the arts we are increasingly interested in discovering the hidden talents of the artists around us. Some of the people you will meet on the blog in the coming months are well known artists, others are just getting started, and some are creating projects that are truly expanding our minds.
It is our honor to feature artist and writer Cassie McDaniel this week. She brings depth and whimsy to all of her work and we’re delighted to have a sampling of some of her work here.
Cassie McDaniel
Below you’ll find a piece of her writing that many creators can surely relate to. It speaks to the need to create without judgment or attachment. You will also find a recording of her reading a piece of her short fiction and an image from an installation she created.
Read, listen, browse her sites, and sink into the creative wonder that is Cassie McDaniel.
Being a Conscious Maker
by Cassie McDaniel
There is no ultimate goal. There is no stopping point, no sun-filled gilded room that you come to when you are finished where everything you’ve ever done is lined up in glass cases, or fastidiously secured to the walls, or protected with laser-triggered alarms. That wouldn’t give what you do any real value. There is no process of weighing what you’ve done, no tipping of the scales to decide which of your deeds have contributed most to other people’s lives. There is no auctioning off of your best ideas. The things you do, the things I do, will likely be forgotten, and by the rate of content being added to the ever-expanding online world – they will be quickly forgotten.
This is not to say that making is meaningless. On the contrary everything we do is full of meaning. Every dark trait we reveal when we are angry or feel threatened, every act of kindness or inspiration, every sound of laughter – all the belly-aching or nose-wheezing kinds of laughter – these things form the metaphorical showcase of who we are; they become evidence of our existence. Every time we do any of these things we become a maker, and this making becomes obvious when we consciously collate it into a form that connects us to others. Makers are especially apparent when they make paintings, music, films, or performances, but really, everyone who is alive is making something.
The only real power we have while we are living is the ability to influence other people’s lives. Here is where making gets tricky. Conscious makers innately possess the ability to open other people’s eyes, and the only way to wield such a power is through the honest examination of our own lives. When we look inward, we see everything else a little differently. We see social causes as relevant, environmental stewardship as meaningful, individual relationships as worthwhile. Being honest about ourselves inspires compassion, learning, teaching, and acceptance in others, and at its best, it inspires others to become conscious makers as well.
Even when what you do is imperfect or unrefined, remember to share it. Sharing is what takes the most guts because nothing will ever be perfect or perfectly refined. Everything is unfinished and has uncertain value, from the day we are born to the day we die, and it takes real courage to know that and to share anyway.
An image from McDaniel's FOUND installation. To read about this interactive project, and to see more images from this piece please visit her sites, links can be found below.
Click on the link below to hear Cassie read one of her creative short pieces entitled, Thirsty
Cassie McDaniel is a designer, writer, artist, and illustrator living in Toronto, Canada. Her background is in interactive design work in which she has worked with big brands, artistic projects, cultural initiatives and non-profit organizations in Florida, London, and Toronto. Her fiction and poetry have been published in many journals and websites internationally. Cassie is also the founder of a writers group called Soft Spot for the Universe and the design and craft collective, Black Kettles. She is currently working as a freelance writer and artist in Toronto. Follow her work on www.cassiemcdaniel.com or say hello on Twitter: @cassiemc
To view more from her Found installation, please click here.