Recently, a few things have happened to me that have shook me to the core, have threatened my ideas, bombarded my dreams with pessimism and resulted in a spate of sadness. The combination of poor results academically, a distance between my father and I and a recent spate of undesirable decisions have a had a rather negative effect on my current mental state. Although this comes at a rather inconsiderate time, so be it.
Life has very little sense of occasion.
These events have led to me two things, one being an album by a revered artist, the other a film starring Morgan Freeman. No, it was neither Invictus, shot in my beautiful country, nor Shawshank Redemption, but in fact the first art film I had seen in a very long time. I am dealing with the film first because it came first chronologically. Anyway, this film, by director Rob Reiner, aptly named The Magic of Belle Isle, was a turning point. I won't rob you of the pleasure of watching this brilliant film, brilliant if you are of sound mind and not desperately dependant on the average social conformity to find purpose, but brilliant it is. It was a turning point, as I said. It made me realise that creativity is not a gift. It's not something you either have or don't. It's alive. It's a feeling that moves within you. I have always considered myself a creative person, I'm fairly talented musically, I feel like I have a feel for writing at times, as well as being able to appreciate many a good film. But I now know that that is just wrong. The mathematician solving equations has to be creative in his use formulae, the business man has to be creative in his implementation of marketing and growth strategies. Creativity is not a thing we are blessed with. It is a thing we tap into, but is always there. Creativity is not a gift for individuals, but a resource for all.
Now onto the album, which is currently playing in the background as I type this out. Bob Dylan's 35th studio album, Tempest. Brilliance. Dylan has a way with words and rhythms that has made him the legend he is. Although everyone knows certain songs of his, such as All Along The Watchtower, Hurricane, Tambourine Man, and The Times Are A-Changing, I still believe you don't know an artist until you have listened to a full album from start to finish the way it was intended. This album lead me onto another realisation. Art, especially music, is not a commercial entity as many have made it out to be. If you look at those who have made a significant impact on the musical world over the last few decades, they all share a specific trait. Passion. It's passion that leads artists like Sir Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger to continue to make music and tour until they're in what most would consider their twilight years. It is uncanny to think that all those years ago, when John, Paul , George and Ringo got together, music was not something you could learn on the internet. It was not something you could just start on a whim. The way they revered instruments back then is unreal when compared to the availability of them these days. Please, don't get me wrong, I would never have started playing music if it wasn't for the availability of affordable instruments, but I just feel that it has lead to an unhealthy consumerism culture in the arts. If one act doesn't make money for a label, it's OK, a new one will be around in the next few years. It's saddening. This is why I am hell-bent on establishing an indie label. Because not everyone is meant to be a musician, and the current routine of finding an attractive person with little or no talent but some sex appeal and making an artist out of them is ruining the industry. Label exec's have lost the thing that got them involved in the first place. Passion. Passion for good quality music and not just the bottom line. A lot of you will think this to be idealistic, but without ideals we are nothing. I am in no way naive about the fact that making a profit is a necessity these days, but there is a way to do it. a way where the passion for good quality art is never lost or forgotten.
I find myself wondering why I gave this post the title Belief, and not Creativity and Passion, and then I recall why. Because I have belief. I have faith. That by combining creativity and passion with belief, we will be able to do anything we set our minds to. Idealistic? Yes. Impossible? No. I'd hate to end with a clichéd statement, so rather, a quote by Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw:
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not’?” – George Bernard Shaw
Cliché? Yes. Untrue? No.
