Life As Art

Life As Art

You often hear the phrase ‘life imitating art,’ although it could just as easily be ‘art imitating life.’ If you Google the definition of ‘art,’ you get;

“the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”

You get the ideas, concepts of creation and of aesthetics; creating something of beauty.

But why would art exist at all? It seems to presuppose a better aesthetic to be had, a more ideal scene than what we might be involved in. It might point the way out of what we have generally been brought to accept as ‘reality.’

This is supposing a particular purpose to art that is beyond escapism and temporal entertainment and what a concept this is!

But what might art be pointing a way to? What could be better than the best of all possible worlds we find ourselves in now?

Surely others have made attempts at how we should live and set down rules to abide by that would get us there-to a better world, and has this not proven to be just part of the problem?

Can anyone say how we should be, act and think?

What if art is not so much pointing the way but actually an end in itself? What if there is an art to living?

What if existence was meant to be an ongoing creation, each person creating who they are and how they will live? If the universe hands you lemons, why not create Picasso in his ‘Yellow Period?’

Could this be why ‘The Artist Formerly Known As Prince’ did away with his previous names? By naming you, society exerts its power over you by saying you are so and so and we know that you are this and you are that and you must stay within the limits of this identity we give you.

You are an artist and you need an agent and a record deal.