Why Dedicate My Life To Art? The Pros…

Last night I watched a BBC documentary on Ai Weiwei. Born in Bejieng, mind fucked in New York during the 1980s and finally after his return to China the line between artist and activist began to blur. I stared at the TV wide eyed, unblinking, mouth hung half open as it was possibly one of the most fascinating things I have watched in a very long time. Not because the documentary was made in any particularly interesting fashion, but because I was watching a man who has turned his life, emotions, passions and inner most thoughts into these perfectly crafted pieces of perfection.

Following this I began to give thought to existentialism. Does it affect my life? Does it affect those around me? Am I able to surround my life in art of even drown myself in it?

Søren Kierkegaard a 19th century philosopher, posthumously regarded as the father of existentialism, maintained that the individual is solely responsible for giving ones own life meaning and for living that life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.

Speaking from my own experiences, a day job, having to smile and nod at general people droning on about top forty R&B, receiving blank stares at the mere mention of any music pre-1945, literature that comes with a hard back or modern art that isn’t Hirst, Warhol or Banksy makes me experience despair, angst, alienation and boredom. If I were to live my life passionately and with sincerity I would fill my life to the brim with art. It is the only thing that makes me feel… welcome… embraced… passionate and well… whole.

Everyone’s passions in life greatly vary of course so each person’s pursuit of a meaningful life would come through vastly differing actions. Some are passionate about money and possessions. Some, love and the great search it comes with. Many, the pursuit of life’s meaning itself the ultimate chase and some (including myself) simply beauty, art and well perfection. I’m not a “perfectionist” necessarily as anyone who knows me can vouch for but I can never understand the acceptance of mediocrity when you can have excellence, the norm when you can have the outrageous, Beyonce when you can have Joplin, Mia Zapata or Karen O… PUSH THE BOUNDARIES.