Boring to Beautiful

As an artist I perceive a pressure to make profound “Aha” discoveries. If we are so intuitive and informed about the nature of human existence, if we have answers for so many of life’s questions, then our realizations about how we interact with each other and how we perceive ourselves must be revelatory.

But I often find the greatest steps forward in a process are almost imperceptible.

The process of healing after a traumatic event, for example, can sometimes only be seen retroactively. After going through a weird situation there are insidious thoughts that arise in my brain, but now I’m able to accept them and move on more quickly. I can tell myself “Yeah, that’s how it is, but I don’t have to react to it as strongly.” That’s not all that exciting, but it’s the truth.

These truths about being human and moving forward through life are seemingly mundane. Part of the role of the artist is to grasp the rather boring aspects of our realities, hold it tight in their palm for a while in a state of reflection and creation, then open it to reveal something beautiful.