By Gordon Hamby
President, Program Director, Artist
Sunny Boy Foundation Youth Enrichment and Performing Arts
(“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.”-B. R. Ambedka: Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and politician)
Who am I, Who are you – truly?
Ah yes, it is an age old question that I’m not sure we will ever be able to fully answer. It may be an even more complex question for many of us working in early education and related environments and processes as we are faced with defining our own identity as well as helping students define their identity. And, most certainly within this process, we become an influence on a student’s identity and they become an influence on ours.
A large part of revealing a more clear definition of who we are is through creative expression. When we have venues and methods of creative expression, we are more likely to gain greater comfort with, and confidence in ourselves, as we reach inside for wonderful ideas, notions, and our true identity components. Creative expression also allows us to tap deeper into our emotions. In turn, this makes it easier to relate to other people’s, and even nature’s, inherent emotion and creativity. There are many methods of creative expression, it is not just fine arts, performing arts, music, or prose specifically. We can certainly include, cooking, baking, engineering, carpentry, painting, and a host of others. Basically, one’s creative energy can be applied to many varied areas of our lives.
However, we don’t need to share our creative work with anyone if we don’t wish to. We will still gain the benefits of personal growth in a big way. Importantly, this internal growth and creative energy manifests itself through creating fuel to do our work better as early educators, providers and care-givers. It opens us up to new energies, desires, and passions, at the same time allowing us to break free of the daily restraints created by all the guidelines and rules we must all follow in society at large. The real trick is to find out and express who you truly are – your personal identity – while being well adjusted, happy, and fulfilled within your societal identity. And, these identities are not separate in their functions. Personal identity and group identity constantly cross over and influence one another. But, getting to know our own true identity makes things much easier for us to function effectively in group environments. The ability to appreciate and understand ourselves in order to better appreciate and understand others is paramount in pursuit of our best service to children and youth, and can undoubtedly be greatly enhanced through creative expression.
