Persistence

I am so grateful to have heard Ursula speak of her career and passion directly. While watching her documentary, I was amazed and inspired by the sheer amount of persistence and hard work that went into establishing herself as such a renowned artist. From escaping Nazi Germany to facing abuse at the hands’ of her father to leaving her husband and moving to a big city by herself to ensure the safety of her and her daughter, Ursula is one of the strongest women I can think of. I really admired the documentary’s focus on Ursula’s background and family relationships and how it helped her to grow as an artist. She escaped Nazi Germany, residing in nothing but a wooden house at a displaced person’s camp, surrounded by only other wooden items. Growing up in her small town in Connecticut, she referred to the town as a blue-collar area where there was not a whole lot of options for people interested in art. She also mentioned how her father would refer to her as lazy and worthless. All of these things shaped the person she is today and, more importantly, the artist she is today. Even though it seems the odds were placed against her, Ursula still was able to pursue her passion and be successful in life.

One of the things that stuck out to me from the documentary is Ursula’s inclination to using cedar as a medium for her artwork and sculptures. I could not help but relate this to her childhood spent in that wooden home. She even said that what happened on the inside of the wood was very different from what happened on the outside. She saw the wood as a protection from the outside world, and I find it very interesting how she continued to incorporate something she sees as protective into her artwork. Even when she was asked today why she loves to use cedar wood as her medium, she stated that it’s like cutting through butter. She could turn the cedar wood into anything you could possibly imagine just from a 4×4 block.

Another thing I appreciated was her answer to my question; I asked her what inspired her to have such a wide range of titles for her artworks and sculptures since they go from being named after Polish names to being named after Catholic saints. While I asked her this question, I kept Tara’s answer to this question from the prior presentation in mind, as well. Tara did not like to put too much thought and bias into titles of her artwork because she wanted the interpretation of the pieces to be completely up to the audience. It seems that Ursula shared this point of view, saying that the first mistake anyone can make when viewing a piece of art is looking at the title. She likes to use the Polish words as titles for her artwork because most of her audience are not expected to know Polish; it allows her to hide behind this foreign language while others decipher the meaning of her work for themselves.

Overall, Ursula was an amazing guest and I have an immense amount of respect for her and her artwork. She is incredibly hardworking and inspiring, and I aspire to one day be as successful as she is in my own career. Relating this to Michael’s presentation, it is so comforting to see people finding happiness through their passion. One of my favorite parts of the talk today was when Ursula said working in the studio was so fun and easy, even though she’s constantly working with dangerous materials and building such complex structures. It proves that if you love what you do, you will find happiness.