Art for Art’s Sake
Art for Art’s Sake ~ Burbank 3/22/23
Last night, upon wandering into my favorite Mexican food joint, while waiting at the counter to order, in my peripheral consciousness, I noticed this guy, sitting quietly, drawing these majestic birds on an abnormally large piece of paper, sprawled across the table, as his daughter ate her tacos…
Since art (of any kind) always catches my attention, I glanced over to see what he was doing and then stared a bit… “wow… amazing! This guy’s good!” I thought. He’s sketching some birds… Then, I noticed he wasn’t using charcoal or pencil… he was using - a 79 cent ball point PEN to create this!! You can’t erase ink.
Humbled by his skill and talent, I complimented him on how realistic it looked and how beautiful it was. He very graciously thanked me and smiled, almost relieved that someone “noticed” it. What was even more amazing is when I’d asked him how long he’d been working on it, he said “oh, about an hour…”
An hour??? Now I was truly humbled!! How could anyone create such detailed and beautiful art - with a PEN, no less - and be so nonchalant about it?!? Not wanting to be rude with my blatant gawking, I introduced myself and asked him his name - his name is Andy. Not famous and not trying to be, just a regular guy, having dinner, doodling a little while munching on nachos… Imagine that? Art for art’s sake… in 2023, in Burbank. I’d just seen a unicorn.
I then told him I was a musician and a writer and I would be content to be even one tenth as talented as he was. It seemed as though it was effortless for him, like he just “does this” everyday, without even realizing how incredible it is. I then asked if I could take his picture with his artwork, which he graciously allowed me to. I wanted to share it, so others could enjoy it too. He was okay with that.
As an artist myself (although, after this, I don’t even know if I’m worthy of that title…), I feel that pure art and artists like Andy, need to be recognized, acknowledged and appreciated. There are so many gifted and talented people, living among us, with wonderful gifts to give to the world, yet we take true talent for granted these days and instead, we praise the flagrant and flamboyant. We live in a world where art done solely for the sake of art is a rarity. What is referred to as ”art” these days is mostly created for the sake of marketing or commerce and less for the true purpose for which it is intended; to move the needle and stop time. Art is meant to spark emotion and make us “feel” what the artist was feeling, but most importantly, art is there to awaken people from the mundane, contrived “sameness” that is everyday life and ignite that spark which causes us to think… to ponder, to realize that we are all …in this moment, …together. Interconnected. One.
Art is the one thing that separates us from other species and the human mind cannot (yet) be replicated or created with an algorithm. Expression through this medium is the one thing humans have that actually defines us as human. Consciousness is universal. It has no beginning or end. It simply “is.” Art is how we experience consciousness, in real time.
So, when you see someone like Andy, doing what his heart tells him he was truly meant to do, acknowledge him and let him know his work has touched that part of you, deep inside. That same source from where their art itself was born… That force which makes us …one.
namaste
