Take Your Broken Heart And Turn It Into Art

“Take your broken heart and turn it into art.” That was the phrase Meryl Streep ended her fantastic speech with when she received a well-deserved Golden Globe. It lasted just over a minute, and her words became art.

We do not want to talk about the true purpose of this speech or who it was aimed at. As we already know, President Donald Trump did not hesitate to publish an answer. An answer that, not unexpectedly from such a character, did not live up to the moral quality of the veteran actress.

We want to delve into the last part of the speech. In the phrase that, in the form of an epilogue, perfectly sums up a principle of overcoming and absolutely personal growth. “Take your broken heart and turn it into art.” This phrase was actually a piece of advice that Carrie Fisher gave Meryl Streep some time ago.

Not everyone knows that behind the picture of Princess Leia hid a brave woman. A warrior who tackled addiction, bipolar disorder and a continuous struggle to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter. Carrie Fisher noticed something her mother – the amazing Debbie Reynolds – had taught her.

Art, in all its forms and expressions, is a wonderful way to liberate emotions, to heal broken hearts. And not only that – art honors us as human beings by letting us give the best of ourselves in order to share it with others.

We invite you to reflect on this.

Meryl Streep’s speech not only wanted to criticize the newly elected president but to mention his name; the goal was also to touch on something else: the crisis of values ​​in which the country currently lives. A country that, due to a certain establishment, forgets a very concrete aspect. Art is not just entertainment. Art is a culture, it is the magic of diversity, the magic of freedom and a medium with which heritage and shared learning are created.

Art is also therapeutic. We all probably have more than one movie or book that came to us at just the right time, at a time when we needed them most. But many of us are not just recipients of the art world. Some of us use it as a medium to express ourselves with, as a form of purification. As a magnificent instrument that gives voice to our emotions, that expands our freedom and that in turn touches others.

Active art, the artistic expression exercised through one’s hands and body, has healing properties. An example, as illustrative as it is wonderful, can be seen in the film “How to make an American patchwork quilt” (1995). This film tells the story of several different women’s lives. One of them has a very specific habit. Every time she is disappointed, disappointed or sad, she breaks a glass, a cup or a plate.

Later, she carefully picks up the pieces of glass or ceramic, and pastes them on a wall. After a few years, she realized that she had created a work of art worthy of admiration. On the colorful wall, chaotic and manifold, hid her broken heart, transformed into art.

Let’s go back to Meryl Streep’s speech. In her words, she reminded us again that the art world and empathy are connected in a fantastic way. If there is one dimension that strikes hard in the heart of every person who is connected to the art world, whether it is interpretation, music, poetry, painting or writing, it is undoubtedly empathy.

“Art is an expression of a soul that wants to be heard.”

Therefore, Meryl Streep did not hesitate to say that her “heart was broken”. Especially when she saw the new president mock a New York Times journalist. This journalist, Serge Kovaleski, suffers from motor deficiencies due to a congenital disease.

After that, there is actually something we can not let go unnoticed. The art world and the business world, from which the new leader of the White House comes, come from two opposite sides. We can not ignore the fact that the words “empathy” and “emotional intelligence” are categorized under the category of “innovation” in the business world. So they are unknown dimensions and were until recently considered useless or completely unproductive.

To conclude, it is our destiny to live through strange, complex and very contradictory times. Therefore, we must not forget the fantastic and comforting channels offered by the art world. They are a form of expression as well as a connection to our and others’ feelings.

Here you can watch her speech.