There comes a point on a spiritual journey when our souls demand expression. We feel compelled to give form and voice to our creativity, and it becomes the means by which our essential self breaks free.

Many people still believe that the artistic impulse resides only in a select few. But everyone is born with the urge to create. It is integral to a passion for life.

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing was written, directed, edited, and coproduced by Patricia Rozema. This indie-film classic won the Prix de la Jeunesse at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and is now being released in a 4K restored version. The title of the movie is from a line in T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. And like the poem, the drama has some imaginative things to say about, art, individuality, human aspirations, and the gap between people's inner and outer lives.

Shelia McCarthy as Polly

Polly (Sheila McCarthy) is a lonely temp worker whose only pleasure is taking photographs around town. In the opening scenes, she is making a video of herself explaining a recent experience.

With her orange hair and awkward manner, she's surprised when Gabrielle (Paule Bailliargean), a sophisticated and cultured woman who owns an art gallery, hires her to be her secretary. Polly is enchanted with her boss, believing they are equals in their love of art. But through a curious and surprising turn of events, she realizes that Gabrielle is unworthy of her admiration. The dreams which give lift and significance to her inner life are a more fruitful path to renewal and personal growth than copying the style of her employer.

One of Polly's dreams

Anyone who has ever yearned to break out of the mold of a restricted life will find I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing an enchanting and poetic epiphany. As essayist and philosopher Paul Brunton has written: "The creative faculty should be cultivated and developed as both a great aid to and expression of spiritual growth."