Rural Development is diverse and needs to be approached from many directions. In the session on the art project “Resilience – Touching a Colourful Sky” the social and emotional dimension is addressed by helping people to reflect on and express their feelings in different ways. There was not much debating involved in the session on resilience performed by the students of the program Rural Development and Communication from Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences. Rather taking part meant: “Grab a brush, choose your colours and paint what comes to your mind!” With content smiles on their faces, students and professors alike got down to the artistic business. Within only one hour the participants each produced a painting and a poem dealing with the topics that concerned them the most during the last few days. Various subjects came to the minds of the participants from different disciplines and nations. Issues such as Climate Change, Soil Erosion, Exploitation, Business, Economic Power, Resistance to Change but also the power of Communities and Ecosystem Services were highlighted by the resulting work. Participants enjoyed to see how the senses and emotions can intuitively grasp deep and complex matters in a way that can not be perceived by the brain. Especially in socio-economics it is important to get a better understanding of the emotional values in human life and to consider the true target of resilience. "Resilience is about what keeps us alive and being human" says the tutor of the course Rural Development and Communication Loes Witteveen.