A: Art is Hard

I think I’m naturally inclined to appreciate art.

All of it, really. I’m moved by pretty much everything. Dance, theatre, writing, music, all forms of art media, film, television… I can find art in flower arrangements and shed a silly little tear. There’s just something about creativity, creating something with merit from nothing at all… it gets to me!

And I think it’s natural to admire and desire what we appreciate. Just as I’ve never seen a form of art that I don’t marvel at, I’ve never seen a form of art that I don’t want to be able to do. I think this is a very normal thing. When I watch a music video, I dream I can dance. When I see a painting, I want to take images out of my head and make them real in the same way. When a camera angle adds to a scene, my fingers itch to get my hands on some film.

But just as universal as the desire to want to do these things is the reality that puts it all into perspective: art is hard, it takes a whole lot of work, and everyone only has so many bullets in their effort-gun.

At one point or another, I tried my hand at most if not all of these. I’ve always believed that while natural talent certainly counts for something, passion, hard work, and determination can make anyone a master of anything. And while I still believe that, I’ve also learned an important lesson that qualifies it. While anyone can become good at anything, no one can become good at everything.

Sometimes I stare longingly at a drawing that really inspires me, and always, I get up and do something that is not really dancing when my favourite songs come on. I think I’ll always wish I could do a lot of things. But as I get older, I’m more and more okay with the thing that I can do. I work hard every day to get better at writing and to build something with the skill I’ve spent my life honing.