A Fascination with Art Cars
I just wanted to say a little about the whole Art Car philosophy given that I'm such an ardent fan and promoter. We've recently become aware of the government's 'Cash for Bangers' scheme in which motor owners are encouraged to scrap their cars if they are older than 10 years, in exchange for a £2,000 discount towards a new vehicle. While this may indeed be giving a so-called much needed boost to the car industry - it simply is not a 'green' or 'sustainable policy'.
It's true that more people are choosing small cars which helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions but the carbon footprint incurred in the creation of that car in the first place is far greater than any reduction in future years with road pollution. Not only that but when your modern day super cool car goes wrong, it's impossible to go to the scrap yard and pick up the part to replace it with. Instead one must deal with the manufacturers and replace what could have been a small item i with a whole integrated unit at major cost financially and environmentally.
This illustrates a major point I wish to raise in favour of 'loving up' and 'arting' your car. When you go ahead and permanently transform your car through painting or sculpting and adorning it, the time and creativity 'invested' means that you are absolutely committed to maintaining that car, rather than casting it away. And not only are you rejecting the 'consumer drive' that's pushed by big corporates and the advertising that tries to equate our self worth and value with how much stuff you've got and how expensive or new it is, but you create something unique.
Having now created and driven three 'Art Cars' all over the UK and abroad, I never ceased to be amazed by the joy and celebration they cause in the streets. Something as simple as painting my car illicits constant gasps, Wow's, laughter and the thumbs up. It seems that it's very incongruous to drive something so colourful and vibrant on city and country streets.
What I love is that people really 'get' that my little Nissan Micra was created with oodles of love and care and that inspires people. I think they are also celebrating my courage to step out of the convention, 'the norm' and fully express myself. The car depicts nature in all its forms from rocks to rivers, my passion for music, dancing and drumming and my desire to be at peace, still in meditation or sitting. It also attempts to say something about my appreciation of diversity of culture which is why I continue to choose to live in London, with its 'black' and 'white angels'.
It's true that I'm not afraid of being looked at, I am a colour evangelista after all - but sometimes I'm not in the mood to be noticed. I've learnt to 'be myself' whatever my emotional weather and I think there is value in that too. Yes I'd love to be joyful and radiant every moment of the day, but I'm not - I'm human like everyone else. I too am struggling with the concepts of identity and the 'meanings' I apply to my life cicumstances past, present and future. However what I do wish to be a stand for in life is that we are all able to access the mystery and magic of life when we awaken our creativity. The creative process is a powerful mirror for our ability to create and 'recreate' individually and collectively.
In this the 21st century I feel that we are being called to be more 'visionary' and identify opportunities so that all facets of life can 'win' in this game called life.
