Thursday, June 5, 2014

Art is Connecting

It's all about connecting.  Art is a link from one human being to another, or many others.  When someone composes a song and it's released into the world, the music often dances into to a person's soulful space, engaging them on multiple levels.  It's crazy to think that on the other side of a sonata, a symphony, or whatever type of music that's being heard, is a person who bore his or her soul to create it...sometimes centuries before, sometimes only months before. 

When it comes to a visual piece of art that is an original, "one of a kind," you really tap into the experience of connecting with another human being.  There will be that one individual (or couple) who buys your piece and hangs it on a wall, or props it up on a mantel.  That piece will be there to greet them each day as a reminder of the artistic and emotional investment they made.  It is an investment in claiming, "This piece of art represents a facet of who I am and what I like and what I stand for in this moment in time."  It is often said the artist feels a divine moment or intervention while moving across the canvas, mixing colors and creating shapes, watching as a story unfolds.  It is only later that that divine direction is realized, especially when the art speaks to someone so personally.  And every tear and struggle that went into imagining the work was for a wonderful purpose, as on the other side is a person who has struggled, or hoped, or dared and needed something tangible to celebrate a recent victory over uncertainty.

About a month ago, one of my pieces was sold at a charity auction.  There was a lovely, inspirational  woman who, from what I heard, kept bidding on my piece.  It spoke to her and her current endeavors, as well as her recent leap of faith that she took in her professional and personal life.  I know, because I met her that evening and she shared her story with me.  She shared her story with me!  That's worth repeating because rarely do we know the impact our art has on someone personally.  I had chills thinking of how my piece of art spoke to her on a visceral, spiritual level.  When her picture was being taken as the "winner" of my piece, she waved me over to be by her side.  Art is connecting.


 
 
Stay connected!

Peace and love,
Mary