"Art and Resilience" by Alicia Araya

I created this video to explain my biography and my creative process. I dragooned my wordsmith husband, Jim Hickey, to write a small, quick, and credible script. Wow! He did great. Having a perceptive wordsmith husband is very useful in these sorts of endeavors. By having someone who knows you and your history well, you really get to say some useful and honest things that you would not necessarily have thought to share.

 

 

This whole facet of my life and my history comes out in ways that I had not consciously processed or examined; all having to do with my peculiar family history's interrelation with larger historical forces, and the psychic consequences. Yet, as Jim noted, all of that baggage affected all of what I've done - as well as all that I have neglected to do in life. Thus, it does inform my experience as an Appalachian based 'outsider artist' (for lack of a better phrase)

Making the video also, clearly, allowed me to utilize all my creative skills which, as can be seen, are probably vast in terms of raw energy, though not great in terms of polish or consistency. Unless one discusses my actual 2 dimensional output which is essentially at a trained, polished level (vis a vis my musical capacities, for example). But to me the interplay between the joyous fun of creating, regardless of the quality, and the actual polish/training/etc, is part of the dichotomy I sought to breach by DARING to put out there a video of that calibre. I know what's great about what I do; I know what's 'just-ok', and I know what needs vast improvement. But for one brief, joyous moment I just wanted to throw it out there with a "c'est moi, and that's that".

 

Alicia Araya

 

 

Alicia Araya is a self-titled "Appalachian-based outsider artist" and also a P1t microentrepreneur.  The goal of P1t is to create stages where microentrepreneurs can speak about their lives, skills and cultures to others.  If this post left you intrigued, you should consider booking a hands-on painting workshop with Alicia in the NC Mountains. In this P1t experience, Alicia shares her cultural background and her love for Appalachia through hands-on artistic creations with her visitors.