ARTIST STATEMENT Teresa Merriman Mind’s Eye Journals I’ve come to realize that my artistic talents are not entirely innate. Some are indeed born unto me while others transpired through practice and through, I believe, sharpening my ability to listen to that voice within, which sometimes feels rather like a foreign visitor than an indigenous component of my spirit. When we look upon a piece of art we are profoundly drawn to, we often wonder where that idea came from and how in the world the artist helped this idea emerge into existence. Any artist can trace back in time to the point when they felt the spark, heard the voice, or when “it came to them.” The “it” to me, is that foreign, impalpable thing, disguised as your own voice but is truly an ethereal miracle determined to come to the spectacle of the human eye through its delivery to the proper, capable, listening artist. And what is an artist? To me, an artist is one who acknowledges and identifies their intrinsic talents and applies them in practice in order to build an aptitude, a bridge over the gap between those natural endowments and their honed skill, and with this harmonious moxie, an artist is one who is in concert with those mystical sublime muses, all for the sake of creation. As an artist, I believe it is my daily responsibility to not only qualify for such concerts but to play an active role in these noble events. As a bookbinder, I believe I must inspire and encourage the inherent creative tendencies that reside within us all by composing a blank journal, a sacred housing, a companion, for the boundless creativity that you, my friend, dare to bring to fruition.