It was something to the effect of 'to be an artist is to be unsatisfied'.
I am not sure it's fair for artists to get to think they corner the market on dissatisfaction.
For the sake of the blog we'll remain in the creative realm.
I believe in synchronicity. After reading the phrase above and then stumbling across a superb performance of Fingers to the Bone by Brown Bird on Youtube, the this week's post topic made itself known.
Existing is a struggle.
Pain. Work. Violence. Bad luck. Decay. Mortality.
Living is not a trip to a spa. If it was, it would have to be called something else.
But that isn't all there is.
Woven between the lyrics and notes of Brown Bird's music exist delicate, enduring spaces that balance the hard edges of being alive. Just like the invisible pieces that make up the universe that we can't see or completely quantify, this space is far from empty. A thriving energy exists here, and with the right method, a glimmer is visible, even if only for a moment. Call it whatever you want. Stringed instruments and string theory actually have something in common. It is as simple as the idea of breathing.
This force is secretive as a wild animal and it is not for owning. Like our universe, it is in perpetual motion. To hold it is to kill it. However, connection is possible by getting up each day and working. The terrain is unpredictable and its going to hurt, but not always. Sometimes that moment of satisfaction happens. The elusive creature briefly coils itself in the warmth of a rest note between two musicians and the harmony provides a bridge to get the worker over life's next chasm.
The lyrics of 'Fingers to the Bone' and other Brown Bird music is available in the publication
The Teeth of Sea & Beasts: The poetry of Brown Bird by David lamb and MorganEve Swain, 2014, Rhode Island: Stone Heart Press.
who loves the sun
sheet metal and light, 2016
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