“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else – he never dares cut the rope and be free.”
~Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek.
I read an article about a 94 year old Czechoslovakian grandmother who turned her small village into her living art gallery by painting flowers on the houses. She did this for 50 years, from the 1970’s until her passing in 2018, and it triggered my belief that the world is indeed our gallery. We just have to find our art. Oftentimes it’s not art in the obvious sense either.
This is where most people get confused and make that mistake. Art isn’t only a painting, or drawing or sculpture – you can push anything you do into the realm of art. And your audience will find you through your authenticity and sheer passionate obsession. When someone lives what they do it is glaringly obvious for any and all to see. You don’t find your audience through your trying to reach them either. If you do this, then you’ve sold out – or Soul’d out as I like to call it. Art that speaks to you has a piece of soul from the artist in it, and it conveys this, think about the art pieces that have jumped out at you in your life, I am certain they all share this commonality. My dogs have this from me because there is literally a piece of my soul in each and every one of them from the hours we spend living together and working together. My gallery is the mountains, and my art is each one of my dogs.
We’ve really been in the ‘studio’ of late. Working, walking, toiling away. It’s a magical process to be a part of, carving your very own existence and life in a truly isolated place. I’ve learnt that you just need one idea to shake the very foundations of your life, and have you dreaming all day long about it, but it will not come cheap or for free – you’re going to work at it harder than anything else, and trade off even more for it. You’re going to feel alienated and alone, and miss milestones and celebrations. But it will be worth it, because it will be yours. And yours alone.
The deal then is that you must share it with the world. That is how this works. There is no other way. If you are sharing only what you think the audience wants, you’ve missed the mark. You need to be sharing everything about it. And when it’s all said and done, and you’re called Home, you’ll understand… Did you live a life you chose or someone else’s idea for your life? Forget the money. Forget the status. Forgot what’s ‘cool.’ That will all come when you truly do what you are meant to do. In alignment with your souls vibration.
And if it doesn’t come, here’s the real magic – you don’t care, that’s the secret to making art. Your art.
Always chasing the horizon.