The arts are POWERFUL. Truly. We witness the transformative power of the arts every day.
How the arts impact a person is as unique as each individual. Each person’s journey through the arts is special.
The arts shape how we see and interact with the world, influencing our emotions and self-perception.✔
The most profound impact we observe is the boost in CONFIDENCE that comes from a consistent and dedicated artistic practice. ✔
The confidence to be ourselves.✔
The confidence to be who we are and who we are meant to be! ✔
The confidence to share our voice, ideas, and creativity with conviction. ✔
The confidence to commit and connect with others with authenticity. ✔
The confidence to stand up and share in “performative” situations. ✔
The arts teach us to BELIEVE in our potential and success—a core philosophy at Donais Studios.
Today, we are excited to introduce our new series, “Impact of the Arts: Discovering the Artist Within.” In this interview series, you’ll hear directly from our community members about how the arts have profoundly impacted their lives. The arts are not a luxury; they are essential.
A heartfelt thank you to Amelia for conducting the interviews with our featured artists.
I know you will find inspiration and connection through Harrison’s story.
Keep singing,
xo Andrea “arts are essential” Donais
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I had the great pleasure of interviewison Frank this week and we discussed his experiences with the arts and how they have impacted his life.
Harrison was introduced to music early on in his life and has fond memories of music in primary school – specifically vocal music. He joined his school’s Glee Club in grade four and played clarinet for school for one year before taking on percussion for six years until COVID. Harrison joined Donais Studios at age eleven, shortly after its opening.
I asked Harrison to describe how he feels his musical practice has changed his view of himself and his confidence and self-trust, and he said that “with vocal music, it’s cool because people don’t really expect you to be interested in it as a guy.”
Being a boy who was interested in music was very taboo and not as common, and Harrison said it definitely could affect his confidence, but having music as an outlet helped him regain that and develop that confidence. Having something he enjoyed doing that he could watch himself advancing in was really beneficial to his self-confidence.
In our conversation together, I asked Harrison what his favourite thing about his art is, and he said this: “The biggest thing I find about my art is the ability to say something that I didn’t know that I felt.”
This statement is so incredibly powerful and such an incredible discovery. Harrison said that sometimes he will be singing at home or in a lesson and the lyrics will hit and explain a part of his life and his feelings that he couldn’t quite put words to before. He added, “I think the meaning of the lyrics and the feeling that you get from the music is really meaningful and definitely impacts your mood. What I listen to can impact how my day goes and what mood I’m in. The first music I hear in the morning can influence how my day will go.”
In our interview, Harrison added:
“I think that music, for anyone, is really connected to who you are. People having a different musical taste than others isn’t random, it reflects who you are.”
I asked Harrison to describe one way that the arts have an influence on his life every day and he said:
“Without music my life would be so much more boring.”
~An interview by Amelia DePiero, Donais Studios