My Art

I love talking to people who specialize in things. Most people specialize in SOMETHING, and I love picking their brains to discuss that which they've devoted most of their time and energy to studying. I sat next to the wife of my good friend Luke Powell this weekend at the wedding festivities for our friend Kyle. Sarah Robbins is a graphic designer for Southern Progress Corporation. She's good too, I've seen some of her work.

We began discussing art in a more general context. When someone commissions a work of art, be it a piece of visual art or a song to be performed at a wedding, the artist must put in considerable time and effort into the creation of that art. I left the conversation feeling disappointed, I guess. We talked about how much more work goes into a piece of visual art. Be it painting or graphic design, visual art takes a lot of time to create. Does this mean that musical art is less valuable than visual art? I let this conversation marinate for a while.

The next day, I performed a song during the wedding ceremony. It is a humbling experience to watch people cry while you sing. It was then that I realized the true value of my art. Live music is an art of the moment; here one minute and gone the next. Therein lies its ability to move people. Its beauty is short lived, but highly concentrated. Visual art is like the stars. Always there, and beautiful to behold. But music is like a shooting star. Blazingly brilliant for a few short moments, and then it is gone. All we are left with is its memory. The last strains ringing in our ears, fading as new sounds take over.