I grew up in a home where art was not appreciated. My mother called my early creative efforts ‘dust collectors’. This led me to question my deep longing to create, and it made me ask the question; “Why art? What is the point?”

The answer I found is that Art is simply essential. Art is avenue and art is destination.

Art points to our very reason for Being. Life is very, very precious. We get to live it on Earth, this absolutely stunning jewel that sparkles the blackness of space in blue and white.

It is a paradise, where water falls magically from the sky and a sun warms the soil. A place, where food grows right out of the very ground we walk on! Food in tastes and textures to delight our soul and, quite incidentally, with perfect nutrition to fuel those magnificent machines we call our bodies.

Then there is us – totally and completely unique beings each and every one of us, starting with our fingerprints.

But that’s not how most of us view life, is it? When we were children, maybe. But as soon as we ‘grew up’, as soon as we had to make a living, the magic ceased. We forgot our uniqueness and learned to fit in. We silenced the inner voice that told us to ‘play!’ and began to listen to the news on Channel Four instead. “There’s a swine flu going on! You could die!!”

We got all screwed up and wonder why we feel so depressed. Thank God for pharmaceuticals – better living through chemicals, don’t ya know?!!

That’s why Art!

Art in whatever form it takes, from simple and whimsical to deep and masterful speaks to the inner voice. Some have to be reminded that they even have one! But once that essence is tapped there is opportunity for self discovery and that – not swine flu – is the reason we get up every morning. Everyday is another opportunity to get it right.

Each of us has a reason to be here. Each of us is an essential piece of the puzzle. We are children of the Universe and there is nothing little about any of us. Art is the touchstone to that essential discovery.

For me Art is Beauty. Once we have discovered that inner voice, begun a dialog with it and become conscious of who we are, the real fun begins. We are free to discover Beauty for its own sake.

Once the eye is trained to recognize beauty it begins to see it everywhere, not just in a painting or a sculpture, in people, too and an abiding joy wells up within. We grow beyond survival to a higher perspective – and the view from there is breathtaking!

　

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Art As A Touchstone For Discovering Your Purpose. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.