Recently I attended an on stage interview of Nick Cave who is a performance artist that is the director of the graduate fashion program at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Nick has traveled throughout the world showing his creations that mix art with performance. There are many Youtube links to see the fantastic things he has done. Take a look. He is now world famous for his creations. They are unique. After the interview they opened up the audience to questions. I asked Nick if there was any trepidation to his emerging with this new medium. His reply was that for a while he created his art and they stayed in his apartment. Then bit by bit he shared it with others and a new art form emerged for which he is famous. There was risk involved.
In thinking of the students who participate in our contests and the thousands of other artists or poets who don’t send in their work, I realize there is always a risk in sharing your work with others. “What if they think my work isn’t good?” “What if they laugh at me?” Yes, there is always that possibility. However, there is always the possibility of being accepted to be published and people thinking “Wow. Their work is great.” No risk…no gain. Nick Cave could have hid his work in fear of what others would think. Instead he shared it and is loved throughout the world. I think all art has an element of risk. Take a chance. Share it with the world.
—Tom Worthen, Ph.D., Editor
To learn more about our national art contests, visit www.CelebratingArt.com.
To learn more about our national writing contests, visit www.PoeticPower.com.