I have a voice

I finally saw The King's Speech last night, the very last showing at the Fine Arts Theatre in Asheville. After everyone in my Artist's Way class had been talking about how amazing the film was and after the Academy Awards, I should not have been surprised that the film was so amazing. 

I guess I really wasn't surprised at how great the film was, but I was more surprised at how personal it got with me. King George VI suffered his entire life with a stammer. It defined him. His inability and his fears had ruled his life. How true and how sad is it that so often it is our weaknesses and our inabilities that define us. They hold us back from our own greatness by a barrier made of fear that exists in our minds and in our hearts. I wont ruin the film for you, but I will recommend that you give it a chance if you haven't yet. I feel that the human story would resonate with anyone open to the experience. 

I haven't struggled my whole life with stammering or stuttering, but I have struggled with speaking up. Speaking up in my art and in my personal life. I have struggled with finding my own voice, even if it isn't choked back by a stutter, there have been other things keeping it down, keeping me quiet. Maybe that is why I like painting. I can do my work and I can walk away quietly to leave it hang on the wall and speak for itself. We each have a voice. The trick is to articulate it with respect and dignity for ourselves and for others. This can definitely be challenging and is a struggle I am willing to take on for myself. 

I will also not fail to mention that I love Colin Firth, who plays King George VI, in the film. I feel that he can do no wrong as an actor, probably feelings developed at an early age of being one of the biggest fans of the 6 part BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. All personal feelings aside, the film is brilliant and he earned the Oscar for his performance. I strongly recommend the film as a true story of the greatness found in weakness; a true human story.