The way I see art... May 15, 2011

The thing is, when I view art, I can’t just think about the finished product in front of me. Certainly I’ll appreciate it for what it is in that moment, in front of me – but I often can’t just stop there. I know that, for me, when I need to write something out, to express my creativity, it’s not unlike a full-brain itch, and I just have to scratch it. Our avenue for our creativity isn’t the sole definition for how we scratch that itch – I mean, if it was simply a by-product we’d never really have much of any art or culture to speak of (and I can hear you wags saying that we don’t, not really, but that’s another question).

What creates that itch is as much important as to how we scratch that creative itch. We may need to work out childhood trauma or a painful breakup by articulating our helpless rage with giant bold strokes of a paint brush, or deal with the death of a loved one through the expression of song. These are the things that, moment to moment, in the secret forges of our head and heart, allow us to express ourselves artistically. So, with all of that in mind, I ask you this… If this is the scratch:

Then what the fuck was the itch?