Art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; thus art is an action, an object, or a collection of actions and objects created with the intention of transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Beyond this description, there is no general agreed-upon definition of art, since defining the boundaries of "art" is subjective, but the impetus for art is often called human creativity.
I'd very much like to think I'm an artist. It's just hard calling yourself that because of the derrogated (that is to say popular) definition of the term --- you are an artist if they think so (the inimitable them, says cameron crowe... the them/they in "...that's what they say...").
I was just watching the documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme and I came to think that that is my approach to making my music... somewhat freestyle/ improvization. I can't write, lyrics however, but usually, when I cover songs, I really have the tendency to bend the notes to my liking. My own style. When I reach that point where I no longer think much of the original version, and I come up with an arrangement that's completely my own, I know that I am a musician/ artist.
As phrased in the documentary, making music is very spiritual for me. I live for those moments when I just close my eyes and let everything flow out of me. I also like it when music brings people together... I performed once in the office and as I was singing, one of my officemates closed his eyes and bobbed his head to the music. Ahhh... grand. It's all about the moments within the creation of music. It's never really about the anticipation that comes before and the reception that comes after. It's all about the intagible thing in between... I can't even pin it down.
The overwhelming beauty of music can literally drive me to tears... It's something that I'm not afraid of telling people. It's just always been a part of who I am.
Even though I write and talk about my passion for music, these things pale in comparison to how I express my passion in moments of just pure creation. Some people blabber on about how passionate they are but then you don't really see (or hear) it in their "art". Sometimes they do that to put themselves in the spotlight... to showcase their inner philosopher or to prove that they are one of the chosen few who appreciate and create art. Repugnant.
Hey... art is art... it just happens to flow through certain human beings. We are mere vessels. Just be thankful, be more skilled than you were the day you discovered you have the talent and never stop creating.
On that note, I'm shutting up now.
