Art is life

It is the small details that matter, this is true in art, this is true in people, this is true in life. Details like the petal of a flower, the focused drop of dew, the suspended half-note or the simple turn of the head can make a work of art.

The viewer sees the overall outcome and is dazzled, but the artist sees this and the detail which brought it all together, the final stroke which completed the piece.

This too is true in life. People read newspapers and become startled at increases in crime or violence. When crime goes up people wonder why someone doesn’t just do what was done before – when crime was low. But no one is looking to the details, the individual people, the one-on-one’s with individuals to turn their lives around. It is the compounded accumulation of one-on-one’s that bring about the overall desired outcome of decline in crime.

One must be willing to confront details, the individuals, without reference to statistics and numbers, headlines and bylines. Only then can one step back and look at the entire scene as an idyllic work of beauty and grace, and give off a wondrous sigh of satisfaction.

Just like a master photograph or painting, a community can be a sight to behold, a work of art, a peaceful place to stroll and enjoy the diversity that is life.

Artists dream and make life so.