Broken Heart Into Art...

I remember a time when my friends and I would patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) await the awards lists for things like the Oscars and the Golden Globes.  We then would try our best to see all the movies nominated and would have big parties with our own ballots filled out with special prizes for those with the most correct wins.  One of our friends got so into it that he painted himself gold from head to toe to look like the Oscar statuette!  (We had to throw down a sheet over the couch so that he could finally sit down!)

Over the years, I've fallen out of touch with what's going on in Hollywood.  I still watch movies and try to keep up with what looks interesting to me, but I'm not quite so fanatical as I used to be.  I don't watch the award shows now and we don't have hours-long parties anymore.

This year, I did however see Meryl Streep's acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award during the recent Golden Globe Awards.  I was really moved by her words.  I thought of my own mother and how she traveled around the world to start a new life in America.  I thought of my own tribe and the wonderful and diverse characters that populate it.  But I was particularly touched by her tribute to Carrie Fisher.

"Take your broken heart; make it into art."

I listened to these words and my fingers sprung into action.  This is a sentiment that I also share.  I believe that you've got to take what is broken, what hurts, and what is in pain and transform it into a thing of art.  I know that I try to do this in my everyday life and encourage others to do it too.  There is so much in this world that has disintegrated and lays in fragments – only the act of creation can mend the things that ache and bleed and truly turn them into something more, something better, something beautiful.

I turned the quote into a pendant out of bronze clay.  I liked the idea that it starts off one way and then, when it is subjected to fire and heat, all that is inessential burns off and what is left is transformed.  It is solid and whole.  Each pendant is unique even though I've used a mold to make them.  They've got my fingerprints stamped on the backs and there are little nicks and dings and they aren't "perfect".  I like that there are these little hallmarks of the artist.  The give the pieces history and character.  When you hold them in your hand, you can tell that they were not made by a machine, but were made by an artist with love.  They tell a story about a person who wanted to fix what was broken and make the world a little bit better.

If you're interested in taking a look (and possibly getting one for yourself), we've listed the pendants online.  They are available by CLICKING HERE.