What we most certainly admire about the artist, in any field, is their unbridled devotion to their craft. Many live an addled, tortured existence in their deepest desire to magnify their gift and bring it out into the world. As individuals, we hold a grudging respect and, some would say, admiration for the individual who has “thrown all caution to the wind” and bears down to create that one “what if piece.” What if I had not existed: would this creation have been brought to the world? In every breast beats the heart of the artist filled with curiosity and power and magnificence. We fail to act on this impulse because we do not like the consequences. This is one of those numerous apocryphal tales that wreak havoc on the aspirations of young people: that of the drunken, dissolute – and impoverished – virtuoso. It is better to live a life of quiet desperation than to step out into the world and take a chance – and maybe fail – with my life. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city, you go into the desperate country and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” (1)
Recently in one of our classes, I met a young man who worked for a restaurant company in their central office as a purchasing clerk. He was, however, an artist, ‘au fond.” (2) I only discovered this after noticing him doodling in class on various occasions. As educators, we must be sensitive to the needs of our students. From the podium, I constantly cast my eyes across the room to see, through my solipsistic haze, if my material is failing in its intensity or whether it is profoundly stimulating, the latter being the ideal goal. It is a delicate balance because you can be but the conveyer of the message in any pedagogical situation not the thought itself. There are no teachers, I believe. There can be only locksmiths. The craftsman creates a key for the person and then proffers it. The receiving of knowledge and, God willing, wisdom, are private experiences. As Aristotle tells us: The poet, being an imitator like a painter or any other artist, must of necessity imitate one of three objects — things as they were or are, things as they are said or thought to be, or things as they ought to be. The vehicle of expression is language – either current terms or, it may be, rare words or metaphors. I walked over to his desk and asked him to show me a sample of his art. This is always the “acid test.” (3) Much like any proud parent, the budding artist will always display his work. I was shocked. He was really good. “Why aren’t you pursuing this passion?” I inquired. I got the standard answer in response. “My parents said that there is no money in being an artist.” “Tell that to Picasso,” I responded. The meaning being that there is an income in anything if you do it with verve and intensity. You must, nevertheless, be in your state of “flow.” This is when your personal, spiritual and intellectual powers align — genius and creativity thus spring forth. Flow is “the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.” You are, essentially, doing what you love and, by definition, become good at it. Professor Csikszentmihalyi (b. 1934) leaves us with a thought: Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. For a child, it could be placing with trembling fingers the last block on a tower she has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer, it could be trying to beat his own record; for a violinist, mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person there are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expand ourselves. (4)
A closing thought: From the perspective of age, it is easy to dispense advice. It all sounds lofty and pompous without any real value. That being said, we have to try to impart something of our experiences of life. It is the fault of old people that they are not appreciated and respected by young people. Most of the elderly are so disenfranchised from the light-years speed that the younger generations exist in that they are like aliens living on Pluto or beyond. My real counsel to the aged: Wake up, join a club, teach a class and most importantly of all, become involved with the youth of our society. Your life only matters if you make it matter.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about the artist in each of us. That master can only unfold if we take a chance on our own desires and intrinsic creativity. The action of doing nothing is not inaction; it is the action of doing nothing. We are 100% responsible for the reality that we occupy: given the Givens, as the Existentialists say.
A philosophical question: Is it immoral to feel schadenfreude when that irresponsible and aggressive driver bumps the car beside him and is forced to stop, thereby missing that most important meeting? Hmm!
Just for fun: Best Opera Arias
This week, please ponder your own personal flow.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: To achieve greatness, start by getting out of bed and first making it: you have begun. (5)
Footnotes:
1) Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Chapter One – Economy: Henry David Thoreau
2) Basically
3) The expression meaning a conclusive test of the success or value of something.
4) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow – 2004
5) Inspiring: Change the World by Making Your Bed – by Admiral William McRaven