If This Couch Could Talk

It's often hard to think of the right words when we have something important to say. This is especially true when we have a message that we want others to understand easily, but we also want to convey something thought provoking; even thought changing.

During the Unity Conference at the 519 Community Centre, I met a talented installation artist, Mark Reinhart. His contribution to the conference was a written work piece that consisted of a couch, end table, and lamp. Participants of the conference could write words of empowerment, messages of hope, and draw pictures to represent their thoughts and feeling on acceptance in the LGBT community. If this couch could talk, it would endorse words that inspire, and share messages of hope.

I was attending the Unity Conference to represent the writing group Outwrites (http://www.outwrites.org/). It's a group I recently joined this fall, in hopes to practice more creative writing and to be in the company of other imaginative writers.

The power of words is something that seems to go undervalued in our modern culture of YouTube, T.V., Movies, and advertising whereby messages, via images, are flashing all around us. The written word takes a back seat. But, if we have a closer look at Mark's installation piece, maybe we can consider making words important again- we don't even need to leave the comfort of our own living room!