The Art Of Making A Difference Is Personal

By Author: Maxine Gardner
Total Articles: 1
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Who would think that a mosaic class could open up a world of creativity in a 46 year old woman? I didn’t, but the first class I took in mosaics truly allowed me to express my imagination and creativity in a way I didn’t expect.

A blossoming creativity turned into a sense of adventure and fun, and gave me a sense of freedom as I transformed the most basic object into something beautiful and full of meaning. As I started creating mosaics as a way to express myself, I showed my work at art fairs and galleries, and was even featured on an HGTV show in 2001.

Eventually I shared my creative gifts through teaching others, reluctantly at first. An art fair customer, Diane, begged me to teach her for two years before I finally said yes. I had my students pick their projects and I taught them the creative process to make the piece they wanted. My thought was that when they were finished, if they never wanted to make another mosaic they went home with one piece of “art” they could be proud of.

Turns out I loved teaching, and my students kept coming back. They decorated their homes and gardens with their creations, ...
... created gifts for others, and some students even began to sell their work. That was the best reward for me.

In 2009, I learned that Mariners Inn, a facility and program for homeless men recovering from addiction, needed supplies for mosaics. I was so excited to share my supplies and time with these men, because I knew how transformation was possible through rearranging the broken pieces into something new.

As the men discovered their creativity, the fear of making mistakes diminished, and the excitement of self expression emerged. The process of metamorphosis began. The men they knew themselves to be altered with each piece of mosaic they put down, and a new picture of the men they would become emerged.

My original thought that I couldn’t be an artist because I couldn’t draw a straight line, and I certainly never colored within them, is what has me be able to see what is possible for others.

Thank you Diane for being so insistent. I am profoundly grateful for the joy that has come my way; for the difference others’ have made to me, and through sharing my gifts, the opportunity for me make a difference in return.

“the art of making a difference” was created as a platform to share stories of individuals and organizations whose actions made or make a difference, in order that we too may be inspired to go out and do something to make the world a better place. We would love for you to contact us with stories that inspire you.

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