As artists we are like salt. We add flavor to life, we enhance and give traction to the deep thoughts and ideas we all feel and think. The importance of what we do cannot be diminished by what individuals say or society tells us. Someone may say, "who is going to want that", or "be practical (practical has it's definite place, we do need to eat) and get a real job", or tells us we need to get the art out of the schools.
A beautiful painting, movie or piece of music can take one's breath away, stop them in their tracks, bring tears to the eyes. A beautiful piece of cake can stop a hungry man or woman in their tracks but when the cake is gone, there is a good chance it will be forgotten (although of course, baking a cake and decorating it is an art form in itself). There is music that moves me to tears. The emotion that I felt when I met The Starry Night by Van Gogh, is still with me, wrapped around my soul, like a warm scarf on a cold winter night. And how Marc Chagall loved his wife, that love comes out so beautifully in his paintings.
As artists, we illuminate and give light to what needs to be seen. We are created to do this. We give voice to rich and poor, old and young. We break rules because they sometimes need to be broken. And we must never let anyone convince us that we shouldn't do our art and 'tell' our message with paint, film, notes or words.
Try this:
Look at something you have created, that you may have been thinking is stupid and simply loved it.
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