 |
| "Bravery," by Xavier Fernandes. |
Artist's Note
I was born in Karachi, Pakistan and came to Canada with my parents. Over the years I have worked in many different mediums, the most recent in wood turning. As a wood turner, this was an interesting topic – looking at the decisions made in the conceptualization and production process. One wrong decision and the piece is gone. A lot of time and energy can be lost, and the process can become daunting if you allow it.
What does bravery mean?
A five-year old boy heads out for his first day at school. He’s excited and nervous. He gets there and another boy, a bit older, walks up to him and says, “Go home. You don’t belong here.” The young child is confused – is he at the right school? “I just got here. Why do I have to leave?” For the first time in his life the boy realizes he’s being rejected because he is not white.
Maybe he didn’t belong.
Bravery is a lesson learned early on. Taking that first brave step of telling the older boy, “I DO belong here.” It was a parallel for me in the first cuts for a new piece. Working with the raw piece of wood I have to be brave in making the cuts and turns to meet the vision I have of the final product. In the same way, we need to be brave in spirit to accept that we ALL belong. Taking that step of standing up for yourself or someone else takes bravery.
With that we all will have a better world.
I was born in Karachi, Pakistan and came to Canada with my parents. Over the years I have worked in many different mediums, the most recent in wood turning. As a wood turner, this was an interesting topic – looking at the decisions made in the conceptualization and production process. One wrong decision and the piece is gone. A lot of time and energy can be lost, and the process can become daunting if you allow it.
What does bravery mean?
A five-year old boy heads out for his first day at school. He’s excited and nervous. He gets there and another boy, a bit older, walks up to him and says, “Go home. You don’t belong here.” The young child is confused – is he at the right school? “I just got here. Why do I have to leave?” For the first time in his life the boy realizes he’s being rejected because he is not white.
Maybe he didn’t belong.
Bravery is a lesson learned early on. Taking that first brave step of telling the older boy, “I DO belong here.” It was a parallel for me in the first cuts for a new piece. Working with the raw piece of wood I have to be brave in making the cuts and turns to meet the vision I have of the final product. In the same way, we need to be brave in spirit to accept that we ALL belong. Taking that step of standing up for yourself or someone else takes bravery.
With that we all will have a better world.