Calling all Musicians, Artists and Creatives (Now More Than Ever!)

I read the news today, oh boy. And just about every emotion coming up. Anger. Fear. Frustration. Confusion. Surprise. Sadness. Anxiety. Despair. At times, Joy. Pride. Hope. At others, Sorrow. Angst. Helplessness. Hopelessness.

I find myself turning to art more now than ever to escape, to seek truth, to face these feelings head on. And then I remember, that I too am an artist. And as an artist, am here to bear witness, to make change and to sooth and heal. After all, isn't that the function of art? To express? To reflect? To share? To Love?

It is our duty as artists, as creatives, as expressives to reach far into ourselves, uncomfortably deep into our guts and not ever to turn a blind eye to the truth around us. It is our obligation to reflect the ugliness around us, to create new beauty to crowd out the ugliness and above all to care. To care about every bloody detail and never let up for a second, whether that is to roll up our sleeves and create something new - a poem, a song, a symphony, a painting, a piece for the piano, a sculpture, a novel, an article, an opinion piece, a video, a blog post...or bring to life a piece of music left to us from the artists and composers that came before us, who reached into their guts through times of personal and historical turbulence - who gave it all they had and gave it to us in order for us to give it all we've got.

We are here to bear witness. To touch humanity. To be part of humanity. To care about tapering this phrase just so, placing the comma in the perfect place, to get the shade of color perfectly in consonance (or dissonance) with other colors on your palette. We are hear to care. We are hear to make and share our art. We are here to lift others around us. We are here to make change. And to remind us that we all matter.

We are here to be uncomfortable and make others uncomfortable if needed - in order to shine the light on the truth. We are here to sooth, to heal, to make beauty around us and move others. We are here to connect and help others connect and come together to share a human experience. We are here to help each other heal. We are here to remind each other to feel.

So, put down the screen. Break away from the ghastly headlines. Thaw the numbness. And go make your art. Go listen to others play. Read books. Write. Paint. Dance. And above all, share your art with others. No excuses. Just do it. The world needs us.

As Picasso said: "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life."

And as Robert Schumann said: "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist."

And most of all, we are here to give hope. To help fight the waves of hatred and fire blazing in the world right now. As my favorite poet, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote:

"Let everything happen to you.

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final"

Let's do this.

XOXOX

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