Have you ever asked yourself if art imitates life? Or is it the other way around?
Art inspires us to imagine a life we think we deserve, gives us something to believe in, something we wouldn’t even dare imagine: happy endings.
Sometimes I’d like for my life to be narrated by Morgan Freeman. And Hans Zimmer or Brian Tyler would compose the soundtrack. I’d want the story to end just the way I’d like. To quote Orson Welles, if you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.
Art and life. Neither one can exist without the other. Call it symbiosis if you want. And the two are closer than we like to think. Of course, they never actually touch. Or do they?
It happens on rare occasions that art is life, that creating art (or consuming it) makes us feel more alive than we’d ever felt.
Throughout my life I’ve done lots of stupid things. I’ve been through good times and bad. At times I felt bitter and angry, powerless and alone. And the only true constant in my life was writing. I never regretted writing any of my stories. Even the ones that sucked, or maybe especially the ones which sucked. Or the ones I never finished. Because every single word I wrote taught me something. And every word I wrote got me closer to achieving my dream.
My art was always there for me. Made all the other problems and troubles feel insignificant compared to what I was doing on the page. There’s nothing quite like it, and I’m sure my artists friends will agree. You can try and explain all you want, but when someone tells you they enjoy your art, that you’ve changed their lives, that they think what you’re doing is beautiful, the feeling you get can’t be explained or dissected or compared. It can only be felt by those brave enough to take the plunge.
I wrote Mr. Nobody in 30 minutes before a doctor’s appointment. I was scared of what the doctor was going to tell me, of what the future held for me. So I wrote a story about a writer whose words mean more to him than anything else in the world, because it felt as if my words were the only thing I owned in this world.
I wrote One because I’m an avid smoker, and I was out of cigarettes.
I wrote Memento Mori because there’s actually a graveyard like that in my hometown. And dying without anyone noticing is one of my biggest fears. Dying in vain, being forgotten…
I wrote The Writer because I always wanted to be a great writer, because I always wanted for my stories to change the world, for my words to be so much more than black characters on a piece of paper.
I wrote Jazz because I feel love’s that one thing we all desire, no matter how rich and famous and powerful we become. Even gods needed love. It’s the engine that drives us, the little spark that makes us perfect. But I didn’t want to write about a perfect love.
The idea is that art and life are interconnected.
It’s a really strange process. We always draw inspiration from what’s going on around us, and in turn, our end product inspires people to do something about their own lives. We inspire change, in a way that ultimately, life imitates art in an endless struggle to become perfect.
But you know… art is never perfect, that’s why the struggle never ends. We never stop pursuing the most elusive dream of all: perfection.
Then again, it wouldn’t do any harm to ask ourselves, from time to time, what would we be if life were perfect?
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I know I must be sounding like a broken record or something by now, but we’re just $642 shy of reaching one of my dreams, and actually publish my novel.
If you’d like to help me out, you can do so here.
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I wouldn't want a perfect life..it would seem too much like "The Stepford Wives" for me.
Hm! Very cool to hear the inspirational sparks behind a few of your stories. Anything that specific for La Tiers Du Cylindre>
Well, I did mention the inspiration behind LTDC in that foreword post that got Freshly Pressed. Secrets, people wearing masks, how my first dream as I kid was to go to the US, change my name into Chris Packlem, and become the richest man on the Planet. There are quite a lot of me in this novel, mostly because Chris and William are two different sides of who I am.
For me, art is usually inspired by the art of others. I wonder what that says about me?
That you get more inspiration from other people's art than you get from your life experiences? Dunno, that's just a wild guess.
It sounds pretty on the mark, though.
When you see, hear, or otherwise experience great art, you FEEL it. And you're right, there are NO words.
For someone who is just starting to have the courage to write and not worry about approval, your words mean a lot. If everyone could find an outlet to express who they are, instead of believing the perceptions of others, the world might be happier. :)
I love the impressionistic artists because they are filled with light, color and the beauty of impressions. I like to see art that is happy because it fills me up with good feelings. I like to do pen and ink drawings with watercolors. I do children's pictures and old historical homes. Thanks for the cool post!
Great post, as usual.
I think there's immense beauty in imperfection. I've just recently been realizing that we may all be striving toward perfection, but it is the imperfect that we respond to the most in others. Why hide our imperfection when it connects us with those around us? That is what art is. Us being vulnerable, showing our beautifully flawed souls, and by doing so, reaching other souls.
I did my final masters paper on this subject! Through my research I realized, art is the mirror of what happens in our society. For example, their are periods in art, Impressionism, symbolism, surrealism, etc. Then I studied what was happing in the society worldwide, historically, and it directly impacts what the artists are seeing, and interpreting. We need this connection to better understand society, and feel more connected with each other. Art also expresses the emotions of all time periods, and cultures, and it is like water for our souls. Wonderful blog!
The answer to your first question is: All The Time! I've asked this a lot, both in life as well as in writing.
Secondly? As a longtime perfectionist, I can tell you that everything is perfect – all of it – or nothing is – none of it. Either way, I've personally chosen to continue deconstructing, at this point in life ;)
You always manage to capture my thoughts and feelings on writing perfectly in words! Thank you for that! :)
I wish you all the best. I will be reading, and at some point I hope I can help you in a real, monetary way. In the meantime, at least I can spread the word. Here's my blog about you:
http://whereiblogonblogging.wordpress.com/2013/03…
Hope it helps you get where you want to go, NaNoWriMo brother!
This is really beautiful… this is art.
Reblogged this on Carolina Mountain Blue and commented:
Agreed; art(and, by extension, writing) is a means by which mankind imagines(or tries to imagine) what the world could be and what it should be rather than what it is.
I do think art imitates life and thus, beauty (of art) is in the eye of the beholder!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Yours look quite interesting. Enjoyed a lot reading it.
I liked reading your descriptions of what was going on in your life to inspire your writing. And good thoughts about perfection… I stopped striving for perfection a while ago, since us humans are full of contradictions and I think perfection is not attainable. I push for self-expression instead… and flaws and mistakes can be beautiful.
No one wants to read about a perfect character.
True! We like to relate to characters and root for them as they face challenges.
Hi Christian, thanks for dropping in on my blog and liking, I popped in to your blog too several times and enjoyed looking around. I'm a book designer if that helps at some stage? Your words remind me of my scribbles.. making observations of life around us. So-called imperfections are beautiful too and should be embraced. Have a fun and productive day over there.
I agree, life influences art, and you can see art everywhere if you look hard enough. Cool to hear how you got your inspiration for your stories. :)
I love this! My husband and I are both artists at heart… we've definitely had our "is it worth it" and "does it really mean anything" moments. Reading your post reminds me that yes, it absolutely does.
I *just* posted about something very similar. The beauty of pain. Art and life *are* connected. And, really, would we have it any other way? Great post, Cristian. I'm broke myself, but I'm rooting for you.
As one who seeks to revel in my weaknesses so as to give all the glory to God, I appreciate the importance of imperfections and being broken. God always takes me by surprise when He forms something beautiful out of one of my messes. No matter how many mistakes I make, He piles on the grace and I feel eternally grateful for the gentleness and kindness He has shown me. I think one of the purposes of this life is to serve as a point of reference. Those of us who join Him in perfection will always appreciate it as a result of living a whole life of imperfection. I can't imagine the beauty that He has in store for us as I am in awe of the complexity and beauty all around us in this fallen and flawed existence!
As for art, I find myself swept away by the truly masterful rendition of music, performance of dance, or crafting of words. I am moved on many levels and ultimately to action when I view a touching movie or documentary. The ability to create is, I think, the very image of God that He bestowed upon us. When we are in tune with His Spirit, we will notice and be moved by something as simple as a picture or an encounter with nature. The smell of a rose or the flit of a butterfly can touch our hearts and thrill us with the understanding of the very presence of God and His love for us!!
Reblogged this on Artisms.
Never stop writing!
Art, in it's various forms, both draws from, and creates inspiration.
This was so good I don't know where to begin to compliment you! The Morgan Freeman reference made me smile. Liked the Orson Welles comment too! Take care!
Reading your blog Cristian is new to me. I mention this only because I normally wait to get a better understanding of a writer, before commenting.
I'm quite enjoying the read, but still have some catching up to do.
Please forgive me for asking, if you have already mentioned your age in a previous blog, but I'm curious as to how old you are?
Initially, my interpretation was that you were very, very young. I realize, of course, after reading more of your work that I misunderstood.
I would understand if you're not comfortable with the question of your age. I myself, am just beginning to find myself less then thrilled with the question lol!
I'm not asking for specifics; just in terms of decades.
Again, I apologize if I missed it being mentioned; as there is still some reading of yours I've not yet gotten caught up on.
I was born on December the 25th 1990.
Thank you Cristian. Ah…to be 23 again! It's always inspiring to know the 'arts' are alive and well among the very young.
Great post, Cristian. Thanks for sharing the circumstances behind the creation of some of your work. It doesn't always happen the same way for everyone.
I think good art needs to be connected to life in some way. Poor art, well, that can come from just about anywhere. But I cannot believe that a piece of true quality, be it painted, filmed, written, played, or anything else, can come without some kind of emotional input. And it's unlikely that's going to come from anywhere but life (well, life or the last bit of "It's a Wonderful Life", but maybe that's just me).
And of course, if life were perfect, we'd still be complaining that it wasn't.
I am so happy you mentioned why you wrote Jazz. I just bought it but have not read it yet. I am looking forward to it even more.
I like, the words that echo so many; many reflecting a shimmering, slightly obscured or even altered by ripples on the waters of life vibrancy of my own. Then:
Then,
Your plea for help. You don't like it. I don't either yet maybe that is my idyllic image of a world that could, 'should' be without the question of funding?
Whatever works I wish you the connections that make effort worth more …
Art imitates life and life imitates art. People are influenced by stories they read, films they see and so on, and may play roles out in life – but chiefly art imitates life, because if it didn’t, it would make no sense to us
I like the philosophical meanderings of your blog posts Christian. And the art you choose to illustrate your posts. I’ll be back for more!