Prologue: Thanks for your patience as I wander abroad with my family. A special shout out to Ashley, who specifically asked me not to write, and enjoy the time with my family. Your note was lovely (see what Europe is doing to me?). But for me, writing and speaking are how I think. I throw everything out there to assess, digest, and process. This particular communique is an attempt to do just that. It's a bit different - but, I like that I can be different with this special group.
I hope you enjoy.
- Scott
Bach, Van Gogh, and My Life As Art.
As my family and I wandered the streets of Paris, we found our way into a centuries-old bookstore in the Latin Quarter called Shakespeare & Company. I was fascinated as I worked my way through the small, disjunct store where Hemingway, Vonnegut, and Salinger had all spent time.
After spending time browsing the unknown and unfamiliar, I sought assistance from the owner and operator to find my go-to book, Illusions, Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, by Richard Bach. It is a book I buy, collect, and give away to friends regularly.
Written in 1974 by author Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull), the book is equal parts fantasy and philosophy, and tells the tale of two wayfaring strangers as they travel, talk, and learn about life. Even after reading it more than a dozen times, I still find it hard to fully understand whether Bach is writing a fantasy/fiction piece, or if he is spinning a narrative of a historical documentary that is played out only in his head.
The book begins with grease-stained pages and a handwritten text...
"There once was a Master, born unto the Holy Land of Indiana, raised in the mystical hills of Fort Wayne. The Master learned of the land in the public schools of Indiana, and as he grew as a mechanic, he grew as a student of life..."
At first, it is hard to tell where Bach is coming from. But, don't worry, his perspective of reality only gets more distorted (and interesting) from there. By the end, you will find yourself, sitting fireside with the two main characters, thinking about life, and the meaning of it all.
Even if you have not read the work in its entirety, you likely have read its excerpts, as it is among the most quoted books of the modern era. Bach's first quote in the book is among my favorites and set's the tone of what is to come in a masterful yet unrevealing way.
From the very first page, the author challenges every pre-conceived notion associated with a conventional life, and challenges us to abandon all boundaries and set a path based on what we want to achieve, versus what we believe is possible.
"We are each given a block of marble when we begin a lifetime, and the tools to shape it into an artistic sculpture."
Our life is a work of art. Hmmm...
What medium would I be? What colors or sounds would I use? What is the final piece meant to represent and achieve? I am not sure I can answer that just yet. But, let me try.
As a part of my family's travels, we visited the Van Gogh Museum. I was overwhelmed not just by Van Gogh's genius, but the sheer voluminous of his work. Talk about non-stop, he created thousands of works, large and small, in just ten short years. I was both inspired by his all-consuming passion & work ethic, and simultaneously embarrassed at how my body of work over a similar time frame might compare. This feeling was only magnified when I fully understood the depth, complexity, and nature of his work.
Let me explain.
As a part of the exhibit, the museum displayed his famous work Sunflowers in various states of completion. First as a symmetrical layout, then a charcoal sketch, followed by a complete pencil drawing, and then the final step of color, texture, and paint. In other words, each work, was really four different works building on each other. I wasn't looking at two thousand words, I was really looking at eight thousand works. All completed in ten years. INSANE!
Let's get back to the work of Richard Bach. Life is a work of art. Now let's look at it through the lens of Van Gogh. Life is art + art is a four step process.
How do you view your (professional) life? What is your medium, and where are you in your artistic timeline? Are you just starting to sketch the symmetrical outline? Are you adding the final touches of color and nuance? Or, like most of us, are you somewhere in the charcoal sketch and pencil phase? Wherever you are, are you living a life of purpose? And, is it a life of your choice?
As music educators, we are blessed beyond most other professions. This (work) life is one of sacrifice and solitude, but also one filled with purpose and passion, which gives our days and nights meaning that others might not have. As Donald Shimoda (Bach's sherpa like main character) reminds us:
"An easy life doesn't teach us anything. In the end it's learning that matters, what we've learned, and how we've grown."
As music educators, our lives are anything but easy, and growing, musical and otherwise, is an unavoidable professional hazard.
So back to life is art...
For multiple reasons, I've been thinking a lot about this journey as of late. Where am I? What am I trying to say? Where do I want to be? And, how can I get from here to there?
These are not simple questions or answers.
Like many of you, I struggle between choosing the fanciful and fantastical, over the practical and applicable. I want to lead a life filled with purpose and passion, but have to be mindful of my riole a parent and provider. Where is the balance between living in bold strokes and strong colors? How do I be vibrant while still having subtle hues and soft corners?
I don't have the answers just yet, but I am working on it. After thirty-two years, the geometry is laid out. My hands are filled with charcoal and my fingernails with lead. But, I have yet to apply a single color or brush stroke. What stands before me is a black-and-white palate, mocking me to make my first move and complete the work. But, what it will be is yet to be determined. Picasso painted everything from the Abstract to the Impressionist. Whimsical to historical. Landscapes to people. What separated these works? Not the first three steps (symmetry, charcoal, and pencil), but the final step, color.
As Richard Bach reminds us,
"Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't."
I guess my work and life are still far from a masterpiece, but I am not even close to being finished. How about you?
Have a great week.
Scott
p.s. If you enjoyed this blog, consider picking up a copy of Illusions. If the interest is there, but the finances are not, email me your home address and I will send you a copy, my treat.
p.p.s. Spoiler alert - As a part of the book, you will experience a "What the HECK!" moment. You will know it when you get to it. Upon arriving there, if you are so inclined, reach out to me and let's compare notes.
p.p.s. I do feel better now Alicia. What did you think?