But

But

Published29 July 2015

Reading Time 2 mins

Author Stories of Nepal

Location Nepal

''Apparently, during the 1st/2nd grade I had problems in art class, meaning I couldn't draw inside the lines and the teacher told my parents that I was having difficulties drawing within the lines, as if that was a huge problem. But as a child, that's the way I saw the world, you know. I knew I had to draw inside those lines but I was messy and I liked that kind of mess in terms of art but then my teacher told me I wasn't any good at art. So I grew up believing that, you know. And now I know that you don't get bad at art. Everyone is good at art. So yeah, I can't draw a stick figure but I am able to capture the world in my own way and that's art. Even just writing. I love writing. I write with so much passion and so much excitement and so much joy, whatever, but even grammar, it is such a structuring, boxed, closed, so many rules and you are automatically judged for what is considered art. Every single day in class, when you turn something in, you get remarks like, 'No buts at the start of the sentence.' But you know I love the buts at the start of the sentence. Who says you can't put a 'but' in the start of the sentence? Who teaches that? But, you know, I like my buts. So I used to put a little 'but' in there just to defy the rules a bit." (Leena Dahal, Met her in Baluwatar, Kathmandu)

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