Jill Berry Blog

living the creative life

Sydney and Shakespeare

Posted on January 22, 2008 - Filed Under Written Inspiration

tiny collageMy daughter Sydney is nine and brilliant. Lately she has been smitten with Shakespeare, and copies pithy quotes on lined paper which I find around the house. Here is one of her favorites: ‘We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.’ Lady Macbeth said that. Isn’t that a visual? “The sticking place” is something I could draw in my journal. This struck me this morning, as I was fretting about perfection, which just might be the opposite of courage, and worrying about being just the right mother, just the right teacher and artist. What comes to mind here is isolating the small things we can, and hanging onto them. That my daughter likes Shakespeare and pursues learning is a very good small thing. That she leaves Lady Macbeth quotes in the kitchen is delightful. This same isolating of preciousness applies to art, and to these tiny pieces we made at our workshop in Taos last summer. They are about 2″ square and are delicious bits of larger pieces that were complicated and overdone. Today I am celebrating the small precious parts both of motherhood and art.

Comments

2 Responses to “Sydney and Shakespeare”

  1. Rosalba Lucero on January 23rd, 2008 3:31 pm

    I’ve always known you are brilliant!

    Of course, your daughter Sydney is going to follow in your foot steps :-)

    Your Friend,
    Rosalba

  2. ~marilyn on February 20th, 2008 8:45 am

    Oh my, I’m so delighted to have found your blog! Such intelligent, insightful writing AND fab eye candy!! Only one disappointment…no larger views for these old eyes:-(

    I am struck by your comment about perfection being the opposite of courage. Mind if I quote you? (with credit, of course.)