What a wonderful experience it has been to know Tony and to sit with him and sing songs and talk about anything and everything that sparks from them. Warm nights, beautiful artwork, soothing words. I've learned so much from sitting and talking with him, from watching him play guitar, from singing with him and with the other artists as as a unified body. The way he is unafraid to make mistakes in front of the class, or to throw himself into a tangent and bring us all along with him. Clapping, snapping, smiling, crying, singing. It's so inspiring. I've learned how to trust my instincts and how to follow my train of thought rather than trying to control it. Sometimes we don't see the meaning in a piece of artwork until we are done creating it. When are we done creating it? Who knows. Making art is like capturing one moment in time, but that moment in time is constantly shifting, changing. It is an intuitive process. Often times I don't understand why I made a piece until it is done, and then it reveals itself to me. I am no longer afraid to stray away from my original intention with a piece, or to experiment and make mistakes, because anything that comes from my hand comes from a genuine source, and is part of a greater excavation of my subconscious. Tony said it best: "We need the pegs, but we also need the wafts."
