Jacqui Chaplin
Jacqui feels like she has been an artist from birth. And on reflection she suspects, in some way, shape or form, we are all either artists, comics, actors, musicians, singers, sculptors or dancers (or maybe more than one of these) until it was shamed out of us or discouraged as idle and not a secure nor respectable way to make an income.
Jacqui started drawing at a young age in the early hours of the morning before the rest of her family awoke. She loved art at school – even though it was highly structured, too infrequent and rarely in her preferred medium. She chose Art as a Year 12 subject and went on to major in ceramic arts at college. And on and off over the following 25 odd years she has come back to art, drawing, doodling, water colours, life drawing classes and CAE Adult Learning Classes in various painting techniques. She has even done a practical, hands-on workshop on Art in Churches… go figure!
What she knows today is when she puts her art (or craft) endeavours aside a little of her dies (metaphorically speaking! Yes, she has a flare for the melodramatic).
And the research backs it up… Dr Brene Brown has studied shame and vulnerability and in a recent interview she said:
“The absence of creativity is not benign… “
And in agreeing with Brene, Jacqui takes that a step further…
“The absence of creativity and child-like play in the lives of adults is malignant.”