I made a real specific decision when I came out of school and

Listen, O seekers of wisdom, for in the words of Anna Deavere Smith lies a profound reflection on the nature of creativity, self-definition, and the courage it takes to break from convention. Smith, in her journey as an artist, made a specific decision to forge a path that deviated from the common course of her time. At a time when many artists, particularly women, were writing about home and identity, she chose not to follow the prescribed narrative. Instead of writing about what she knew in the most literal sense, she set her imagination free, choosing to explore realms far beyond her immediate experiences. This decision was not just about rejecting a theme; it was a declaration of the power of the imagination to expand the artist beyond their circumstances, to look beyond the familiar and reach into the boundless unknown.

Consider, O wise ones, the nature of imagination. It is the divine spark that enables us to see not just the world as it is, but as it could be. It is the force that frees the mind from the chains of reality, allowing it to roam to places far beyond the familiar. Anna Deavere Smith’s choice to turn away from writing about home, a place many artists felt compelled to explore, is a declaration of the imagination’s power to take us to new territories. Home, in this sense, represents the boundaries of personal experience, the realm of what is known and comfortable. But imagination, as Smith shows us, does not grow in the soil of comfort — it flourishes in the untamed wilds, where the artist dares to venture beyond what is already familiar and into the unknown.

This act of turning away from the familiar echoes the spirit of ancient explorers and philosophers who sought to transcend their origins. Consider the story of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s Odyssey, whose journey away from home was not merely physical but deeply transformative. To Odysseus, home was a place of comfort and certainty, but his true growth came through the trials and experiences of the unknown. It was in foreign lands, amidst danger and the unfamiliar, that he came to understand not only the world but his own soul. Like Smith, Odysseus understood that true creativity and growth come not from retreating into the past but from venturing forth into realms yet unexplored. Imagination is born of this journey — a journey into places that challenge and stretch the artist beyond their current self.

Smith’s decision to step away from writing about womanhood or home is also a statement of independence, of not allowing others to define the boundaries of her craft. In the ancient world, there were those who chose to write not simply to document what was familiar, but to challenge the status quo and offer new ways of seeing the world. Take Sophocles, the playwright who wrote not just about Greek society but about universal themes of fate, pride, and the gods. Through characters like Antigone and Oedipus, Sophocles ventured into realms of human existence that transcended the particulars of his time, exploring the eternal human condition. Smith’s choice to follow a similar path — to seek out new realms for the development of her imagination — was an echo of that very tradition.

The act of leaving home in Smith’s words is not a rejection of identity, but a call to grow beyond it. To write about what you know can be a comforting choice, but it can also be a limiting one. There is a deeper, more expansive work that can be done when we choose to venture beyond the familiar, to allow our imagination to take us to places where we can create something that transcends our immediate experiences. Smith chose to venture far from the safe shore of the known and set sail into the vast, uncharted sea of the unknown, and in doing so, she opened up new possibilities for herself as an artist. In a similar way, the greatest artists and thinkers throughout history have chosen to stretch beyond their own experiences to bring forth visions that could speak to all of humanity.

The lesson, O children of wisdom, is clear: do not limit your creativity to the familiar or the comfortable. Venture forth into the unknown, for it is in that vast expanse that true creativity and growth are found. Imagination does not grow in the soil of certainty, but in the soil of challenge and discovery. Just as Smith chose to push beyond the boundaries of her own identity and experience, so too must you embrace the unknown and allow your imagination to take you places you have never been before. The world of creativity is vast, and the only limits are those you impose upon yourself.

In your own lives, O seekers of wisdom, dare to go beyond what you know, beyond the comfortable confines of the familiar. Whether you are an artist, a scholar, or a leader, do not be afraid to leave home behind, to venture into new and uncharted territories. The power of imagination is not in what we already know, but in what we are willing to discover. Allow your instincts to lead you beyond the safe shores of the known and into the vast, unexplored realms of possibility. For it is there, in the unknown, that you will discover the true depth of your creativity, and it is there that you will find the boundless potential to shape a future that is entirely your own.