Belonging through Art Mini-Season(Episode 6)
A Note from Charlotte
I’m so glad you’re here for our second mini-season of All of This & More on Belonging through Art.
Why It Matters: For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the ways art connects us to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us.
>>> My own journey with belonging and art has been deeply personal and, at times, shaped by loneliness.
>>> Loneliness, as I explored in my book The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other, isn’t just something to avoid—it can be an invitation to notice what we long for, seek connection, and broaden our sense of belonging in unexpected ways.
>>> One of those ways, for me and so many others, is through art
This second mini-season features conversations with three individuals who are doing significant work in ways that promote ideas connected to belonging through art. I hope you enjoy hearing from them.
Thanks so much for joining me here. More soon.
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Transcript:
Welcome to all of this and more. I'm Charlotte Donlon, and I'm so glad you're here for our new mini-season on Belonging Through Art.
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the ways art connects us to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. My own journey with belonging and art has been deeply personal and at times shaped by loneliness. In my first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other, I wrote about how loneliness isn't just something to avoid. It can actually be an invitation. An invitation to notice what we long for, to seek connection and to broaden our sense of belonging in unexpected ways. One of those ways for me and for so many others is through art. The belonging through art section of my book was one of the seeds for this mini-season.
It's where I first explored how engaging with visual art, music, film, dance, and literature can help us feel more at home in our own skin and in our communities. Art has a unique ability to reflect art in our worlds, to challenge us, to comfort us, to remind us that we're not alone in our experiences. Whether it's standing in front of a painting that stirs something deep inside, hearing a song that brings back memories or reading a poem that wraps words around feelings we couldn't name art helps us belong to ourselves, to each other, to the world around us and to the divine. Over the past several years, I've had the privilege of studying, writing about, and facilitating conversations around belonging and art. I've seen firsthand how making and encountering art can decrease loneliness and enhance positive connections through different projects, gatherings, and community events, both in Birmingham, Alabama, and beyond.
I've witnessed how art can be a powerful force for healing and transformation. In this mini-season, I'm inviting a few guests to share their own stories and insights about belonging through art.
We'll talk about how different forms and genres of art shape identity, help us process grief and joy, and bring people together across differences. My hope is that these conversations will inspire you to notice the art in your own life, and to consider how it might be inviting you into deeper conversation and deeper connection. I also want to mention a resource I've created for you to use The Quick Belonging Checkup. You'll find a link to it in the show notes for every episode in this season, on the website at all of this, and more.com. It's a simple tool to help you reflect on your own sense of belonging, where you feel most at home, where you might feel disconnected, and how art might play a role in your journey. I encourage you to check it out and use it as a companion as you listen along. I hope this season helps you see new possibilities for belonging in your own life and reminds you that even in loneliness, there are always pathways back to an increased sense of connection. Thank you for joining me. Let's begin this conversation as we find our way to the great belonging.