I make Art.
I have always felt compelled to express myself creatively and it has manifested in many different media at various points in my life. When I was young, I loved to draw, doodling characters and scenes (and especially inventing ski mountains and trail maps!). As I grew older, I liked to write stories and acted in plays, imagining narratives and dialogues reflecting my life and experiences through fictional plots and relationships. When I began learning music, I was drawn to improvised and spontaneous composition, synthesizing whatever skills I could muster on any instrument I could find to create rhythms, melodies and songs that I enjoyed playing, recording and listening to. When I got my first video camera, I began capturing scenes and editing collages that distilled my daily life and travel adventures. When I started this blog, I reflected on my experiences and continue to write here as I do now.
But Why?
I have often wondered about the motivations and reasons that compel me to be creative and I have a hard time understanding what it is that makes me do something with no real utility in my life. I enjoy the time I spend in creation and I find satisfaction in listening to music I made or watching video I produced, so maybe it’s as simple as that, but I also know there is so much more to it that I may never understand. It connects me to something much bigger than myself that I will probably never comprehend; it is my way of tapping into the eternal moment and to unlock the mysteries of the universe in a quest for Truth.
I was grateful to discover a book by Rick Rubin, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”. He, narrating his own audiobook, describes creativity and art in a simple way that makes sense and resonates. Although the Great Why of Art will always remain mysterious, the purpose of creation can be focused and clear. It is a meditation and a grounding, a communing with the forces that guide us in all of our actions where we can connect and become a conduit for the energy of Life. It is personal and universal and I have always respected the calling, even if it has felt at times selfish and pointless. The book reaffirmed what I have accepted about my creative process; that it makes me happier and healthier when I provide myself with focused time to practice. My goal is self-fulfillment, growth and exploration, and playing music, making video and writing all satisfy that aim. I strive for a process that challenges me intellectually and emotionally and, when I have achieved that, I am often pleased with whatever product emerges. It will never be perfect, but if it expresses something honest and authentic, then I am satisfied and fulfilled. It is playful exploration, and it is always surprising and enlightening; a series of experiments that evolve and expand the envelope of my understanding.