November Creator Of the Month: Val
Now 78, Val Fishman (she/they) describes herself as someone who never believed that art was accessible to her, but at the age of 68 finally gave herself permission to return to explore the arts, in preparation for retirement. An activist, feminist, spiritual practitioner, and proud grandmother, Val carries a rich life filled with passion, creative energy, and deep emotional insight. Creating art, she had been taught, was not for the poor and working class, but a thing of indulgence. She had been taught that the work of life and supporting family didn’t leave time for deeply personal and enjoyable pastimes. Art, she thought, was for the upper classes, those with time and money to express their inner worlds Regardless, she started writing at the age of six secretly, and began to see this creativity as a pathway to her own sense of truth and reality that made the world start to make sense
At the age of 68, through participating in an elder art group at Kits neighbourhood house, she finally let herself paint for the first time since she was 14, in a grade 9 art class. She works fast and with much colour. In the last 10 years, she has created 400+ pieces, expressing emotion, allowing playfulness, with freedom and intensity of colour….
“Art is the play I never realized I missed.” – Val
In a world that has limited room for listening to some creative and outspoken groups, women, immigrants, differently abled, non-binary and people of colour, many who have lots to teach and tell the rest of us are not being heard. Val processes her emotions in painting and written word. She uses it to explore her world, her emotions and her desires for a better world, stabilizing her as she continues living in the sometimes craziness of the behaviours of the people in the world.
Painting and writing serve Val differently. Writing is more linear, while art is more intuitive. Whenever she feels overwhelmed, she paints or writes. Her goal is never to produce something “good,” but to care for herself and see the world clearer. She cares less about others’ responses to her creation. Her art is only for her, if it speaks to or for another, that is a bonus.
Her work is deeply influenced by her spirituality and the inequalities she sees around her. Earth-based imagery and symbolism weave through her pieces, with passion and energy. She is completely self-taught, and only now does she dare to call herself an artist. Her favourite place to paint is near a body of water on a day when the sky is alive with cloud formations.
She puts her body where her politic is by continuing to support women and children living in poverty as a volunteer with Mom2Mom program and as a senior peer support for other seniors with BC Jewish Seniors Alliance. Her approach to both roles is grounded in accepting people as they are and encouraging them to see themselves as of value.
Val believes that everybody is a spiritual being, and an artist of a passion only they can interpret. One doesn’t need permission, training, experience or acknowledgement to be creative. She shares that some of the things that come out of her hands blow her away and encourages all to just start creating anything anywhere. She welcomes the younger folk to resist the forces that push them toward conformity or self-doubt. She inspires others to hold onto their individuality, (while still remembering that all of us are one life on this planet) express their creativity to be seen and heard, and fight to maintain their sense of justice.
For Val, art has become one way of holding that inner light, of remembering what is true in a world she sees as chaotic, contradictory, or unkind. Her paintings, sculptures, and writings, as well as rituals and meditations act as daily reminders that creativity is not something reserved for a select few, but something that lives in everyone.
“So much of the time, we look for recognition from others, and it is because we are not recognizing who we truly are. Art helps me see the essential me.” – Val
