Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Observations from the Window

For reasons all my own I find myself sitting in the window thinking about pettiness. Or is it simple immaturity?

Why do people act petty? Do they become obnoxious because it’s fun and gets everything stirred up and than they get the attention they are starved for in the first place? I guess that isn’t too hard to understand. Or is it insecurity? So afraid somebody might possibly be right that they have to go and trash everything about that other person to ease their own mind.

My own personal opinion is that people act that way because, for some reason, they feel inferior to you and probably anybody else they disagree with. They make themselves feel better by putting you down.

I don’t have the time or patience for other people’s pettiness and childish games. If I’ve learned one thing it’s that life is too short and precious too waste on things like that.

It means absolutely nothing to me.

As always I turn to the authority on all matters. The Urban Dictionary defines petty as ‘Someone that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice, even despicable. Marked by narrowness of mind, ideas, or views. Deliberately nasty for a foolish or trivial reason.’

tuneage

Art

“In order correctly to define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man.” Leo Tolstoy

Over the last couple days I had more discussions about art than I have in some time. Over breakfast this morning the ultimate question came up. What is art? After a lifetime of creating in one form or another, and eight years of study, you would think I had a ready answer but I don’t. I suppose that’s something to dwell on another day.

And what makes somebody and artist? I think you are an artist if creating is necessary for your well-being. You literally need it to survive. It feeds your soul and you can’t be who you are without it. It doesn’t make you a good artist but that’s subjective anyway.

I constantly struggle with the thought that my art isn’t good. I don’t know enough or my technique sucks. I always see things and wonder why I can’t do that myself. I know I need to create just to create, to please myself. But really I use it to say what I can’t say, a window into my soul so to speak, and it shouldn’t be to make others happy. At the same time to create something ‘for’ somebody is one of the great joys of art. I want others to enjoy what I do and I want to feel proud of it.

I create because there is something inside me that needs to get out. A desire to express what I feel so others can feel it too. It’s a form of therapy and meditation I suppose.

It’s a pure joy.

tuneage