Most artists are introspective people. Most are also, in my experience, deeply introverted. We prefer to daydream, rather than to exchange idle chatter. To quote Peter Murphy, "Small talk stinks," is a sentiment with which I suspect most creative persons agree. In my discussions yesterday, I was reminded of how vital it is to gather with others who share in this need to engage with our most glorious experiences in a lasting way. ************************************************************************************************************** I do not believe that artists create art simply to share a beautiful moment with others. Neither do we create simply to capture a beautiful moment. I think we create to prolong our experiences. I realized this when I was exchanging ideas with another artist yesterday. We described these idyllic, transcendent, surreal moments we had, in which we felt completely alive, and removed from our momentary worries. Mine was driving down the road, seeing the play of the setting sun on a swamp that is threatening to flood the road. The glassy, orange plate of the water's surface punctured by twisting, gnarled, black branches reaching into the air. The glow of the horizon beyond it, with its strong, contrasting colors blending into one another as they stretch up into the encroaching night sky. That moment is fleeting. We only glimpse it as we trundle along on our way to the next task. It is over the second we place our eyes back on the pavement, resuming the focus that driving requires. It is gone. ************************************************************************************************************** It's a natural, human impulse to have those moments and wish they could last forever. We take photos, get tattoos, mark anniversaries, hold celebrations, all in an effort to preserve these exalting sensations of touching on something grand and ethereal, when we can almost touch the dream in our waking life. ************************************************************************************************************** As artists, we lose ourselves in those moments, and when we engage in our creative process, we are reaching into that moment, trying to stretch time and carve out another reality in which we can live for just a while longer. ************************************************************************************************************** Art is the daydream rendered tangible.
Artists and Energy
Most artists are introspective people. Most are also, in my experience, deeply introverted. We prefer to daydream, rather than to exchange idle chatter. To quote Peter Murphy, "Small talk stinks," is a sentiment with which I suspect most creative persons agree. In my discussions yesterday, I was reminded of how vital it is to gather with others who share in this need to engage with our most glorious experiences in a lasting way. ************************************************************************************************************** I do not believe that artists create art simply to share a beautiful moment with others. Neither do we create simply to capture a beautiful moment. I think we create to prolong our experiences. I realized this when I was exchanging ideas with another artist yesterday. We described these idyllic, transcendent, surreal moments we had, in which we felt completely alive, and removed from our momentary worries. Mine was driving down the road, seeing the play of the setting sun on a swamp that is threatening to flood the road. The glassy, orange plate of the water's surface punctured by twisting, gnarled, black branches reaching into the air. The glow of the horizon beyond it, with its strong, contrasting colors blending into one another as they stretch up into the encroaching night sky. That moment is fleeting. We only glimpse it as we trundle along on our way to the next task. It is over the second we place our eyes back on the pavement, resuming the focus that driving requires. It is gone. ************************************************************************************************************** It's a natural, human impulse to have those moments and wish they could last forever. We take photos, get tattoos, mark anniversaries, hold celebrations, all in an effort to preserve these exalting sensations of touching on something grand and ethereal, when we can almost touch the dream in our waking life. ************************************************************************************************************** As artists, we lose ourselves in those moments, and when we engage in our creative process, we are reaching into that moment, trying to stretch time and carve out another reality in which we can live for just a while longer. ************************************************************************************************************** Art is the daydream rendered tangible.
