Is Art Artistic

Why is it that the thing you’re made for is the hardest thing to do? As I write this I’m enjoying a nice glass of Kentucky Bourbon and a classic Pink Floyd concert and I can’t help but think to myself, “How many mistakes lead to these things?” Why would I think something like that? Watching David Gilmour’s opening solo to “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” almost made me scared for him. His type of playing allows for no mistakes. Long sustained notes, a bold melody, and precise rhythm don’t leave room for error. One misplaced note would have been as noticeable as any elephant in any room and probably would have ruined the entire concert. I thought to myself, “I’ve never played anything that well… EVER!” And I thought, how many mistakes, how much practice, how many disappointments and failures lead to that moment?

There’s a quote that’s been floating around my social feeds lately that goes something like this. “An amateur does something until they get it right. A professional does it until they can’t get it wrong.” David Gilmour personifies that idea to me in this moment. But if we look around we can see it everywhere. Sadly we rarely notice or even care. What do you think of when you think about Picasso? Probably some weird shapes and peculiar designs. Perhaps you like it, maybe it’s not your style. Either way nearly everyone appreciates a Picasso, especially when you consider the path that lead to the picture you see. He wasn’t always an impressionist, there was a time before the Picassos we all think about. There was the realist artist too. I say that to express that what led to the simple, precise, famous work was a practiced skill.

The greats have a way of making the hard look easy. Tiger woods made millions take to their local course thinking “They could do something like that.” Michael Jordan inspired many young men to wear holes in their feet and go to bed with aching legs trying to become great. And Martin Luther King Jr. still inspires the world with the ease of words only he can be known for. All these people have works of art we admire. But is their art really artistic?

It’s easy to take up a brush, a microphone, or a chisel and give up on art the moment the task becomes difficult or the result isn’t what we thought it could be. One wrong note and we’re convinced we’re not players. I know it’s not that dramatic, but it’s pretty close to the truth. And the truth is, no artist was ever that great on first stroke. Instead the artist is revealed through process. That process usually looks like work. Mistakes over and over again. Failure over and over again. But with a purpose towards a need. Where does the need come from? Inside the artist. From a desire to give of themselves. But it doesn’t always feel like art. Usually it feels like work. The beautiful melody can only come from bloody fingers as the calluses form on the young guitarists hands. And that’s when it become’s clear that it’s in the profession that the artist is revealed. It’s a profession that allows a guitarist to stand alone in the spotlight, red Stratocaster slung around his neck, and with thousands watching play every note perfectly. To every artist out there. What you were made for is that hardest thing you could ever do. It’s supposed to be that way. It’s the difficulty that makes the artist great. So work through and embrace the mistakes, find a process, develop your profession; and shine on you crazy diamond.