To be an artist is to be brave. To be an artist is to be confident in your talent, aware of your potential, and proud of what you make. There is a famous quote by Ira Glass, the creator of NPR’s “This American Life” podcast, in which he describes “The Gap” each artist encounters. As he explains, when starting out, every artist will experience a period of time in which there is a gap between the caliber of work they want to produce and what they are actually capable of creating. It takes grit to fight through this phase and create a large volume of work until you have closed that gap. I’ve always struggled with the commitment that it takes to truly be an artist. I know that I have some taste, some creativity, and maybe even a little talent - but I have never fought hard enough to close that gap.

How humbling and inspiring it was to spend 8 days with 13 young student-artists from Albuquerque, New Mexico. These students were out of their comfort zones in so many ways. First, these were true city-kids who had just been thrown into their first true backcountry adventure – camping without tents along the San Juan River. Second, they are all in the same photography and film class (and most say that those are their true artistic passions) – yet, we asked them to draw, to paint, to sketch, or to write. Their adaptability and creativity was astonishing.

At first, I was nervous that the group wouldn’t embrace the ‘arts’ component of the Night Skies Arts Academy – that it would feel like an awkward and clunky requirement, and not something they would enjoy. After pushing through the first couple of sleepy sketching sessions, getting a feel for each other and the program itself, we had a formed our own artist’s community along the San Juan. The art sessions became relaxing, reinvigorating, inspiring, and fun. Each individual worked to create something on their own accord, but side-by-side with one another.

At the end of the expedition, all of students shared with the group one piece of artwork they had created and where they derive their creative inspiration. As I sat and listened to the students share, my jaw dropped as I realized that so many of them had closed the gap! They were all confident in their talent, aware of their potential, and proud of what they had made.

“Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse