Today, I’m borrowing a quote from the Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney: ‘The end of art is peace.’ I heard it on A1 Show and Podcast with a musician who was discussing fame vs success as an artist.
I was driving to Stormlight Pictures studio (the one my late husband Matthew founded with Logan Christopher who now runs it) to shoot footage for the music video of my new beautiful new song Holding Out My Hand (to be released in September 2023).
I had just left my hairstylists and on the outside, I was ready.
On the inside, I was struggling.
So much effort, energy, love, money, time, passion, work, faith… so much goes into creating these songs, these musical experiences – and each time in the process of creating, there is a moment in which the artist questions if it’s worth it…
Will it matter? Should we have invested all of this into something more secure and more tangible? Does the world really need this? If it’s not successful, how will we pay our bills?
So before I pulled out of my hairstylist’s driveway, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I dipped into that silent space where I connect with the divine, with God, with the depths of my soul where I am grounded and centered, and guided.
Trust and detach from the outcome. Don’t question it. I have taken care of you before, I will do it again. Surrender. Trust. You don’t need to know why it matters, or why you are bringing this into the world. It’s been given to you to deliver and you are giving of yourself to do exactly that.
I took another breath, exhaled gratitude, and opened my eyes. I shifted into driving gear and got back on the open road.
When I turned the radio on, a music artist was saying these words (later I found the transcript of the show and copied the words down):
“… the end of art is peace. And for me, that’s true … [on a] personal level that’s the feeling that you get this, this momentary feeling of just having made something. And that fulfillment is really where that sense of success comes from, of being able to continue to do that … that feels, that it still resonates with you and it’s honest and it feels right, and calling out into the world, that has to suffice sometimes, you know, because you can’t control how it’s received and if you have expectations of your joy, if your sense of self-worth is based on something else other than your own relationship to it, you’re gonna, you’re gonna get hurt, you know?”
I laughed out loud as my eyes welled up with emotion. All right, I get it.
Keep calm and carry on. LOL
And remember to detach from all expectations. 🙂
That’s really where the end of art becomes peace – where we create and let it go and trust that somewhere, someone will benefit from it, in ways that won’t even be revealed to us.
I see so many of you out there doing this… putting yourself out and delivering what the world needs – what YOU have been asked to deliver.
For example, my friend Daniel Epstein has created an incredible collection of Portraits in Faith and is now exhibiting it in different spaces and communities. My friends Ante Gelo, Matej Mestrovic, and Alan Bjelinski in Croatia keep making beautiful music that touches people’s hearts and offers comfort. My friend and publisher Marijeta Matijas, tirelessly brings new writers and authors to readers. Pam is so incredibly creative, not just musically but also with beautiful visuals and encouraging words, and in really seeing others and reflecting back their beauty. John posts beautiful videos of West Virginia, David plays classic country music hits on his streams, my sister Sanya composes gorgeous music, Judy makes the most beautiful quilts, Jana decorates people’s worlds… ah… each of you creates a peace that someone needs.
Without art – and each of us delivering it, we would miss out on human connection. Of experiencing the creativity that feeds our souls. We might not be able to heal the deep wounds without art. How else do we get to experience each other’s culture and history if not through art?
And the financial piece, I don’t know… I believe there are still enough people out there who recognize the importance of art and will send you (the artist, the creator, the basket weaver, the healer, the gardener, the thinker, the teacher, the mother and father, the grandparent, etc) a tip, or a donation, a gift, or a basket of eggs that will sustain you through the challenging and dry times.
And I know there are business people who help artists with creating opportunities and platforms (like Patreon) through which they can be supported.
So… yes, keep calm, trust, and create art! 🙂
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I can’t wait to share my song ‘Holding Out My Hand’ with you. You can watch the “Making of” process on my Patreon in the coming week. Enjoy the early release of the song and learn about all that goes into it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Oh, and do practice meditation (being in that ‘Be Still and Know I am God’ place), listen to your soul’s guidance (it’s connected to its source), and create something beautiful today!
Love and hugs,
Tajci