I do. Actually, I always have and I always will. Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing Finding Neverland on Broadway, a review of which will be appearing in an upcoming issue. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, but not many know how the boy who would not grow up came to be.
Finding Neverland is the story of Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie, who after a series of similar and trite plays, became inspired to create something new after an encounter with a widow named Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and her four boys, George, Jack, Michael and Peter, in Kensington Gardens. It was upon that meeting where his inner child appeared and began to dictate his work, leading to much disapproval and talk of possible lunacy.
No one should ever be laughed at, shunned or doubted for being creative. If history’s greatest imaginations stopped painting, writing, building or sculpting due to a lack of support from family and friends, we would not be here today. While that is a strong assumption, I believe it to be true.
While Barrie had the word author penned on his heart from a young age, those new to the arts are often met with great criticism and harsh behavior. It is one of the hardest industries to break into, as so many of us are competing against our peers.
For me, I walked out of the theatre with a new eager excitement to get back to writing stories of my own. But for the rest of us, especially with the summer season on its way and a great deal of inspiration and restored hope to be found outside among the flowers and sunshine, we all need to trust in what is new and different. We all need a little faith, trust and pixie dust to believe in the magic of the creative mind.
We all possess an imagination within our own fairytale, some just need a little more light than others.
