A few days ago I sent out this story to help those of us during those times we feel overlooked... or wonder if anyone notices... Thanks to Maggie for sending it to me.
"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.
When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp
A talented metal sculptor, Ekaterina, e-mailed me her artist's statement in reply:
This is a great and poignant story. It seems so fitting right now to me."I have often asked my self: Is art essential to life, like food, water and shelter is? At first my answer was no. But this did not feel right, because on a feeling level, to me, it feels essential. Then I realized that I was assuming a very narrow description of life as simply existence. When I started to look at life more broadly one of the things that became blatantly evident is that life cannot be stagnant. It seems to me that at the very center of life is the desire to move and evolve. It seems that our very existence depends on our ability to be creative.
This creativity takes many forms, like the sciences, that explore many sides of our existence and evolution. However, to me, it feels like we as a society have put sooo much stock into the tangible that the prevailing tendency is to marginalize the intangible and ethereal. However, my opinion, is that in doing so we are ignoring the very force that drives us. It is like saying the results of creativity are more important than the feelings of the desire to be creative. Both are essential for moving forward. I feels to me that it is these intangible qualities that artists are so often exploring in themselves and sharing through their work.
There are many qualities and truths that simply cannot be explained , yet inspired art can impart a feeling that triggers that exploration and understanding in others. I believe that this is a very crucial part of development both for the individual and society as a whole. Today I believe art is needed more than ever to help bring back a balanced approach to life within our society. "
I replied with the following:
Nicely done, Ekat.
A book I read last year, Converstations with God, featured a wonderful discussion about the concepts of CREATION and REACTION. Notice that the only difference between the two words is where you put the "C" -- Where you choose to See. In all other life forms, Reaction is the driving force. To eat, procreate, sleep and otherwise fulfill basic needs. Action is based out of reacting to basic needs. For many people, as well, their lives are based out of reacting, not creating. And their lives feel empty as a result.
With humanity, creation is the force that distinguishes us from animals or other life forms. We have a need to create, to align with the Universal Energy, to absorb inspiration and express our own residing divinity. We channel something greater than ourselves and learn to love it, crave it and be nurtured by it.
Society has taught us not to say things like that out loud. But things are changing... Some of us are becoming aware of outside forces that are very real. We lose track of time and enter an altered state of consciousness as we create... as we feel the flow... as we transcend.... Society needs this reminder from us.
Because of our creative alignment, we can transcend the problems of our days easier than those who rely on reaction to get by. We can realize how it is that we are magically untouched by the greedy and stupid things going on around us, especially now that we see how much is pushed onto us by the VIPs and trusted powers that be. It's their value system, not ours; their system of Reacting, not Creating. And so Art becomes our salvation, personally and societally.
Letting go to a higher power, a magical transformation, to transcend through the creative process into the divine -- that's the purpose of Art in our Lives and in Society.
And the poet Kaibab, summarized it all with this in a poem he wrote for me nearly three years ago:
A World of Art
I sail on watered words
Sinking as my raft of soft lines
assembles the creative, loaded question,
What is the measure of art to a dying world of make believe treasures?
The way of an artist is not a part time job.
Time is soul food,
and we awake rubbing yesterday's eyes
in a fever of uneasiness,
looking for evasive inspiration.
To create from nothing,
something worth keeping,
is what we call art.
It's not commercial in its primal state,
but the only survival of humanity,
a record of love...through war filled ages.
Bits and pieces of heaven, and wishes,
assembled in spirit clouds,
torture the thunder in the silken shadow
to find a way to some body's distant eyes.
The artist creates a well of water aching to be spread
as nourishment on the world garden,
withering flowers, remembered, not for money,
but because we are amazed.
The world of art beats with a timid confidence,
insane sanity,and terrified insecurity... looking only for a tip of the hat,
a wink in a tear searching for a way
to give itself to the universe.
for more poetry by kaibab visit: www.allpoetry.com/kaibab
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