reflections

The Artist

Realizing more than ever, the poor and disrespected artist or freak if you will- the painters, sculptors, sketchers, and streetlife serenaders that engulf our city and our world. The Michelangelo’s and Mozarts who were created for a painful purpose; to bring joy and inspiration from their creations, to an extremely shallow species; to bring a new and deeper dimension to a visually and audibly blank canvas called earth. To add life to the lifeless empty ceilings as the Sistine Chapel perhaps. A constant flow that is never stifled but rather driven by the very creative juices that flow through their veins and not by the work’s intentions or worth.

The photojournalist’s hard work constantly being upstaged by the narrator in a documentary, who’s only glory is a quick one second rolling credit. His gratification is his stimulation in the moment of his creating of his work; simply driven by what he loves doing and will endure any adversity to accomplish his task or mission. Where then is his applause? When or how will it come; or will it come in silence? Or maybe not at all. This is the reality of the clay. Created and given life as a gift not unto himself but for others. With all of this being factual, when then must he suffer the anguish of degradation? To be ignored or mocked on city streets and resort to a life of poverty when in fact he should be recognized highly financially than most other non gifted careers. Yet ironically the truth is contrary to this. Completely the opposite. A great brilliant mind and gifted creation such as Mozart had to beg for his money as did the great Michelangelo, and was then tossed in a poor man’s grave when his life and mission had been accomplished. Why is his prize frustration, anger and poverty? Shall God himself eventually give the applause?

Such a backwards society in many ways. People pay athletes millions of dollars to hit a baseball and snob the gifted artist with a few bucks, since the beginning of time. I guess it’s harder to hit a ball then to write a concerto. No I do not sympathize with overpaid directors and producers that have just been fortunate enough to have their high paying cushy jobs that make ridiculous choices of who and who not to sign to a contract or to even offer the artist a low paying position. They are starting to reap their benefits with all the piracy that has decreased their wealth.

With all that said and falling on deaf ears, it would be at least somewhat acceptable to us as artists and freaks to this world to at least be respected and recognized, that these God given gifts are a rarity and a treasure and should be somewhat treated as such and not scorned, mocked or shoved aside. Does anyone stop and give a compliment to a street artist who has compromised his worth for a few bucks, practically giving his work away to just merely survive? We are treated in fact as a pest or a freak of nature, constantly misunderstood. Yet the world will marvel at the works of art we create in so many forms.

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