The New Colossus

       The problem with having a blog is… you have a blog. It’s another thing to take care of. I already have to shower at least once a week, brush my teeth when they get yellow, and find clean plates to eat Hot Pockets off of, because let’s be real- those “sleeves” are too hot after 2 minutes. Now, I have to take care of a forum I willingly created for the purpose of showcasing some of my art. I have a theory that everything said on a blog is amplified in people’s minds as who you are- meaning that I would probably sound like a sad, sarcastic downer who lives on Hot Pockets and weekly showers, in angst at her lack of followers. Actually, I’m a terribly bored college student, working as a preschool teacher, who paints and wants to eventually sell some of it, writing on a blog when she remembers to, and rambling about whatever she happens to be thinking about. Eh- but that gets old, and I need to add some more consistency and insight to my blog, not for your sake [Joel Bidderman -i.e. my favorite follower hollaaaaaa!], but for mine. So I’m going to talk about some of my paintings- some of them have absolutely no particular meaning to them, so any theories you came up with about my mental sanity are probably true. But one in particular stands out to me; “The New Colossus” named after Emma Lazarus’s poem that is on a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty. So I did this piece for a scholarship for patriotic art where I could win up to $10,000, and I won! Well the regional division, and got $50 for it (Worth it!).  I take NO credit for the idea, and I take no credit for the fact that it happens to line up perfectly with Lazarus’s poem.  Here’s the story:

            I was getting pretty thirsty for college funds- applying to every Internet scholarship I could find, when I came across The Daughters of the American Revolution scholarship for the most patriotic art entry. To be honest, it was the shiny $10,000 prize that caught my attention- not the opportunity to express patriotism in my art- or even to be recognized as an artist. All for the money. Pretty much the same reason I want to become an Elementary teacher- greed. A piece worthy of $10,000 had to be a good one, so I asked the best artist I knew for help. At church that Sunday during worship, I continued to pray for some inspiration- something that would evoke enough emotion: using my cheap Wal* Mart brand supplies, and limited time, to create something rad. So, I got this idea- or “vision” of the Statue of Liberty- already a better idea than my bald eagle devouring an enemy chopper with a swastika on the side and a U.S. flag billowing in the wind with vibrant fireworks as a backdrop. Long story short, I painted this without thinking of anything in particular- I actually simplified it more than I originally planned, because the simplicity made it more powerful. I got encouraged when I showed Robin (Fluff/ mom) when it was just a rough -draft, and she actually broke out in tears (she’s now the owner of it and uses it in her class). I don’t remember how I figured this out, I’m thinking my dad brought it up- but when I read Emma Lazarus’s poem, my first response was “Sweet! Same name”, then I had to stand back and remember how good God is. Even though I didn’t win the $10,000, God gave me His message: that in Him, I could trust. He would supply me with what I needed. And He has. That next year, I was able to leave the High School that was holding me back. Through a loophole, I was able to attend a charter school through my community college, while also continuing the program from my previous school, which also gave me access to free college. I received my Associates Degree in Elementary Education at the same time I received my High School diploma. It was also through a loophole that I was able to receive a full- tuition waver scholarship. It was also through a loophole that I was able to receive Freshman housing as a transfer student at NAU. I was also able to afford the first semester without getting a job, and when I ran out of money, God provided me with my job I have now. God didn’t give me this idea for a painting because He wanted me to win the scholarship- which is something I thought at the time- He wasn’t worried. I expect to graduate with my Bachelor’s in the Fall of 2014, and I expect to be debt- free by all calculations. God knew that He would overwhelm me with so many financial blessings. He gave me this idea because that’s just how great our God is. God cares about my art- even though it will probably amount only to my favorite hobby- I know that He is glorified by it, and He blesses me daily through it. Just check- out how incredible our God is, by reading Lazarus’s poem, while looking at my rendering of God’s idea:

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"