Unlocking meaning of her life
Creativity matters for Bernice Stott
IT’S difficult to know quite where to begin Bernice Stott’s life story. There’s almost an air of infinity about it, which suggests that while there was a beginning the reverberations continue ad infinitum.
Funnily enough, it’s this organised randomness, a fast-moving outward acceleration, that she says keeps her on a quest to understand the meaning of life and the inner creative qualities that define every individual.
“After years of learning in the arts, you graduate and find there are no more reasons to make art – of any form – unless you really truly want to,” she says with an air of quietness and gentle philosophy that tells you her search for fresh meaning is still a work in progress.
“What I do know is that we need to translate the values we learn into action. That is really important.”
Anglican priest, artist, drama and performance teacher, a facilitator of many things – Stott, ever optimistic, ever energetic, has taken the philosophies on life she has absorbed over many years to a practical level.
Using her experience and artistic skills she encourages others to explore their inner self and “discover the positive creative talents that lie too often unnoticed, unseen”.
This 64-year-old mother of two “ecologically-in-tune” sons – and a busy housewife to boot – says two words describe the message she wants to get across.
The two golden words in her arts’ vocabulary are “creativity matters” – and they allude to everyone, from the richest to the poorest, from the academic to the illiterate.
“A patriarchal society often robs women of their ability to express emotions and make sense of their hardships. That is why unleashing those often hidden feelings, giving voice to fears and hopes, is a critical part of repositioning not only a woman’s place in society but also the male-orientating thinking that has often kept women prisoner.”
Having the freedom to explore inner creativity is what unlocks potential. “You might be a judge, a politician, or a street trader, but the gift you have in common is a soul; an inner voice. Finding that voice, COURSE INFO Write to Right: Ballito: October 3 (nine weeks). Julia Cameron:the Artist’s Way: Berea, Durban:august 17 – November 9. (12 consecutive Thursdays, 5pm-7.15pm) E-mail: info@bernicestott.co.za Landline: 031 209 8436. Cell: 083 343 8994. through avenues like art, music, writing and storytelling and serving that voice through action is what really counts for all of us.”
At this juncture it’s perhaps best to start at the beginning, well near the beginning in the mid-seventies when Stott realised that making choices about her life was very hard. She calls it a “crisis of purpose”. It’s a mantra that still permeates her skill-sharing mission.
“At school I loved art and painting. But sticking to convention and rules just wasn’t me. Getting my Fine Arts Master’s degree was a roller-coaster ride spanning a number of years.”
It was during those undergraduate years at UKZN in the turmoil of the 1970s that questions and issues surrounding theology “and more questions” about her political understanding and Christian beliefs began to surface. Alongside her degree course, she joined the universities’ Anglican Society, becoming chairperson in 1976.
“Really bad things were happening in South Africa at that time. There were riots, protests, terrible suffering. For the Anglican Church it was a hugely turbulent time even at university level.”
Midway through her art studies, Stott decided she should change course and follow her other abiding passion, speech, drama and the performing arts. A decade after her drama degree, in late 1990 with change hovering in the air, “many of us believed it was time that the Church also changed its viewpoint on the ordination of women priests. Mandela had just been released from prison in 1990 and it seemed the right time to press for the acceptance of women as priests.”
Stott, as part of a group called the Movement for the Ordination of Women, pleaded the case for women priests at a Synod of Bishops. An edgy time, she admits, “but at least we broke the ice”.
In many ways this was a defining breakthrough for the emancipation of women in the church in South Africa, a journey that she says is far from over for women. “After a discernment conference, I signed up for a theological education by extension college course to gain a diploma in theology.”
Following on, she returned to fine arts to complete her Master’s degree. Since graduating 11 years ago, Stott has concentrated not only on her art but has also facilitated numerous life skills workshops in Durban.
Her next workshop, entitled The Artist’s Way, is based on the book by Julia Cameron. Stott describes it as an adventure in freedom aimed at unblocking the pathways stifling creativity.
“Research tells us that wellness and having a purpose in life are closely linked.”
We come full circle back to her core message that creativity matters. “When that decision is made, the jigsaw pieces all fall into place.”
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