Grace Copeland
"Taste and See" - A dance vignette of an anxiety attack
Directed, Filmed, and Edited by Grace Copeland
Movement Artist: MeganAnna Griffin
Music by Philip Sheegog
Renaissance (@creative.nyc) Taste and See night.
I’m always talking about how important it is to love the artist more than the art - this was an exercise in applying that to myself as the artist. The Spirit spoke to me about a month ago that my next project would be based on the phrase in Psalm 34 “Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who trusts in him.” About a week later, Josh reached out asking if I would create something for the next Renaissance night, and that the theme would be “Taste and See.” I’ve been walking through a particularly rough wave of anxiety the past month or so, and when I thought about what this verse means to me during this time, I realized that even in moments where I’ve felt incapable of tasting that the Lord is good due to anxiety attacks, I can always see that He is outside of myself.
I have great friends that I’ve been able to share this process of healing with. I knew I wanted MeganAnna Griffin to be a part of this because she’s listened and empathized with me through this time. The morning she came over to film this, I was in the middle of an anxiety attack, so it was particularly cathartic to make this as I was actively in the state I was trying to portray: numb and blank on the outside, chaotic and frightened on the inside.
I almost didn’t send this in or post it because frankly it’s not one of my better artistic moments haha. But it accurately conveys what I’m going through, and if someone else can see their experience and feel understood through it, it doesn’t need to be the best thing ever. As artists, we swing and sometimes we miss. But I think it’s important to always keep swinging, accept that you will inevitably miss sometimes, and continue to share your heart through it all.
Another special thanks to Philip Sheegog for adding music to this. I had to cancel our lunch plans a couple weeks ago due to an anxiety attack and shared a bit with him about what’s been going on. Having friends who’ve walked through this with me and then agreed to join me artistically to express it has been so so sweet.
Always open to share more about any of this privately!
