It’s been a bit of a day.
Tears, laughter, confusion, confession…
I had dinner with my parents tonight.
I started crying when I read the following message from a former student of mine –
“So in the wake of this quite terrible day, I wanted to let you know I was thinking of you. The lack of sleep and mass amounts of fear, frustration, and confusion that have filled campus today was overwhelming to say the least. Walking into the performing arts building this morning for class, there was a sense of defeat that weighed down on all of us. It was something I have not seen since A Chorus Line two years ago. And that’s why I thought of you. Today I was surrounded by students and faculty that joined me in choosing love over hate. In choosing to band together and understand one another instead of criticizing each other. We chose to fight with our art. Today I was told that “Art is about to get a lot better”, “More than ever, we need to fight with our creativity,” and “In times of hardship, it is the art that is left behind.” I wanted to thank you for inspiring me from day one to pursue my passion. You taught me to take a stand for what I believe in and never sit back down. It is because of you that I am where I am today and that I am able to keep a positive mind even on the darkest of days.”
I cried.
Oh how I cried.
I had to leave the gym I was crying so much.
After I cried, I came up with this –
I teach.
I create.
I try to bridge the divide.
And so, I want to work on a new project. With people who voted for Clinton. With people who voted for Trump. With LGBTQ friends, and Muslim friends, and black friends, and Hispanic friends, and white friends. With women, and men.
Art is about to get better. A conversation needs to be had. And I invite all of you to join me, if you want.
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Live, Love, Learn,