On Independence Day this year, I celebrated the fact that our country has risen from a rag-tag bunch of subservient colonies, settled to provide wealth for European dictators, to the beacon of freedom and democracy for the entire world. We are so independent that we decided to stop learning, and instead have subjugated ourselves to Indian tech-support.
But I have another idea that makes this whole endeavor worth it. It has to do with the times I have spent before great art, and it has to do with us being made in His image. Even if someone is not an artist, they can appreciate it. They can let it bring beauty to their life, they can let it challenge them, and they can use it to help them understand their own condition. I really hope that something I say here helps someone, maybe a couple of people, have a conversation about art, because I feel that it is so often put on the backburner.
Listening. That’s what it means to wrangle thoughts. I can’t control them, I can only listen to them and let them take me where I need to go. I need to listen to what my heart is saying. If I don’t do that, how can I expect to create anything of worth? Creation requires a divine spark. If I am not listening to the still, small voice, how will I get a flame going?
For some reason I got wound up tight today, and instead of massaging it away with beauty — like dropping some Copeland in the system and melting into the couch as the sounds of an Appalachian Spring filled the room — I numbed it with useless entertainment.
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Matthew and Lizi The Meaning of It All "Soulful vocals and heartfelt songwriting"  |
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Andy Melvin The Human Engine Waits "Catchy and exquisite, energetic and mellow" |
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Peter Nevland Just My Mouth "Laugh, and then cry. Smile big" |
