The Capitol Building in Atlanta

Georgians for the Arts

Last Tuesday, I spent the entire day at the Capitol in downtown Atlanta. 

Why? 

I was asked to be part of the Georgians for the Arts "Cultural Capitol Day."

I brought one of my prints and set it up in the rotunda. I joined a number of other artists and photographers who were also displaying their work. 

It was a day to talk with our representatives and let them know how much we care about funding for the arts in Georgia. 

Creativity is important, and the arts are important.

It's a shame that arts funding is always one of the first cut for education when budgets are tight. I don't think people are truly aware of how much creativity plays into our ability to get things done. 

Da Vinci, Einstein, Edison...you get the point. Solving big problems requires creativity. And right now, we've got a lot of big problems to solve. 

Even worse is that when a creative person has no creative outlet, it leads to depression and other disorders. 

Creative kids often don't do well in school because they don't fit neatly into the curriculum boxes.

The United States is falling behind badly in the education arena. For too long, our kids have been the victims of multiple education theories coming out of teaching schools, not to mention all the social engineering projects. 

Why not look toward education systems that are doing well for guidance instead? Japan, for instance. They're way ahead of us...

The day itself was reflective of how the arts often get treated. There was a big presentation on one side of the Capitol for the Tourism Board. The governor gave a speech, and we all gathered on the steps for a photo. 

But...the governor didn't even make it over to our side of the rotunda to see the art display. 

Ugh. 

Here's a little food for thought:

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the arts and culture sector represents 4.2% of US GDP -  $754 billion dollars. 

The construction industry? $763 billion. 

Education services? $208 billion. 

In Georgia, the arts represent $3.8% of the state's GDP. That's $19.6 billion dollars (construction in Georgia is $19.7 billion dollars). 

The arts play a significant role in our nation's economy. 

On another note, I truly enjoyed the day.

I met a really talented painter, Beth Smith, from Macon. She has a whole package put together about our education system and how behind we are and how important the arts and creativity are when it comes to learning.

I met several other talented and lovely people.  

By the time I got home, I had to run off to my neighborhood meeting at 7 pm. 

Then...by the time I got home from the meeting...not so wonderful, I was coughing, and I had that awful feeling of something settling into my chest. 

Ick. 

Wednesday morning I felt awful, and by Wednesday night I was miserable with a fever and body aches.  

I'm so grateful that I don't get sick very often. I feel like the price I pay for rarely getting sick is that when I do go down, I go down hard!

Here it is over a week later and I'm finally feeling better. 

I hate the lingering cough, though. It drives me crazy. 

And I'm tired. 

I hope you're staying healthy!

I hear there's a lot going around, and I know lots of people who are sick right now.

I guess it's that time of the year. Stay healthy! And I'll see you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan