Rediscovering the love
TL;DR
The truth is that the arts and entertainment business isn’t poetic. It is, after all, a business. And while the aims of your efforts are often emotionally moving, the daily immersion and often-grinding pace can dull your sensitivity to the very thing that once inspired you.
One of the unfortunate byproducts of working in the arts is that we can occasionally become immune to the beauty and wonder of art itself.
It makes sense, doesn’t it?
If you’re surrounded by something on a daily basis and you’re not actively paying attention to how you’re engaging with it, there’s a definite possibility that you’ll take that thing for granted.
When it comes to the important things in our lives, we usually make an effort to ensure that we don’t become passive — our relationships, jobs, and health are prime examples.
But, what about art?
When was the last time you thought about your connection to art?
I’m not talking about your art, or your craft. This isn’t about your relationship to your acting or music or writing or whatever your discipline is; it’s about your relationship to art itself (in the broadest sense of the word — high-brow, low-brow, any-brow…if you want to call it entertainment, that’s fine by me).
As artists, this is really about going back to the source — drinking from the spring — because it’s why you got into this game in the first place, isn’t it? You felt a connection to something…a love…maybe even a calling.
Whatever it was, you can probably recall the specifics of a certain movie, book, play, art exhibit, album, photograph, musical, etc., that sent chills up your spine and made you long to be a part of the creative experience.
In fact, most of us can probably recall numerous experiences like that…moments of magic where time almost stood still and we felt like we were intangibly connected to something “other” that we couldn’t exactly put into words. Moments of transcendence.
The truth is that the arts and entertainment business isn’t poetic.
It is, after all, a business.
And while the aims of your efforts are often emotionally moving, the daily immersion and often-grinding pace can dull your sensitivity to the very thing that once inspired you.
We spend a lot of time these days taking care of ourselves in numerous ways — yoga, meditation, vacations, therapy, nutrition, etc. — but when was the last time you made a concerted effort to tend to your connection to art?
To stoke the fires of your artistic passion?
What I’m talking about here is deliberate engagement with whatever it is that resonates with you at your core; actually setting aside time in your schedule to let everything else go (that’s right: turn off your phones, take a timeout from social media, and give this your undivided attention).
If you can only afford a couple of hours, then do it. If you can devote half a day, a whole day, even an entire weekend, then give it a try. Go to a museum or gallery. Watch movie after movie. Listen to albums and check out shows. Find poetry readings. Check out dance and opera companies. Read an entire novel in two days.
Whatever it is, don’t half-ass it — immerse yourself, reconnect, renew your passion.
And for all you parents/caregivers out there, I know firsthand what it's like to crave more time than our schedules allow for us to indulge in deliberate artistic time. So, keep it simple. One hour may be all you have. Great — make the most of that hour.
Most importantly, I challenge you to make this a priority. I’m going to walk the walk and do it myself — in fact, I’m actually excited by the prospect and I hope this excites you, too. So, get out there, engage with art, and remember that incredible feeling of why you do what we do.
Here’s to rediscovering the love,
Betsy