Gratitude 3: Thank Artists

This month's Gratitude Focus (Gratitude 1: Thank the People We Know published on April 15) topic is to thank the artists. These include artists who express themselves on paper (painting, drawing, gluing and writing), on other medium (stone, wood, marble, etc.), with their bodies and using a musical instrument. Sometimes, they communicate for us. Somehow artists have that special power of cutting through our exterior to get to our souls.

Writers

I've always wanted to be a writer because I believe that I can interpret for other people who have expressed personal, political, urgent and mundane things to me - sometimes verbally, sometimes not. Also, I read so many types of things - fiction, biographies, policies, news, general interests, science, decorating, arts, etc. - and I am compelled to communicate some of the most interesting ideas of these topics because one might want to know and I care enough to throw out some discussion topics to mull over. Writing is not easy which is why I have so much gratitude for writers - even the not-so-good ones! If something can be conveyed that makes me think or dream or inspire, it's gold.

I love a good novel with riveting plots that transport me. I will always pick up a book written by Alexandre Dumas, Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling and Louisa May Alcott, to name a few. Other writers (Jhumpa Lahiri, Khaled Hosseini, Andre Dubus III, Alice Walker and Ralph Ellison) force me to open my eyes to new cultures and ways of thinking. Then, there are novelists who use words with precision to vividly describe scenes and thoughts (Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman, Edith Wharton and Richard Russo come to mind). I find myself reading and re-reading passages aloud to get the full effect of beautiful phrases.

Non-fiction books are my weakness. I can't resist any biography written by Walter Isaacson, David McCullough or Doris Kearns Goodwin (and I have quite a few sitting next to my bed to be started or finished!). Malcolm Gladwell can explain a difficult topic about why society works the way it does. Temple Grandin and Alexandra Horowitz can do the same thing with animals.

Artists

I am grateful for artists that create visual works of art and architecture. Having studied art history in college, I am impressed by the creativity, stamina, raw emotion and bravery of many artists. Many were never successful in their lifetime. I've described some of my favorite artists in a previous blog but here are some others.

Some pieces are impermanent such as the "Spiral Jetty" by Robert Smithson or "The Gates" by Christo that some people have been fortunate to visit. Others continue to elicit awe (Michelangelo's "David" or Monet's "Water Lilies", for example) or anxiety (Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delight" or Munch's "The Scream") or horror (Picasso's "Guernica" or George Segal's "Holocaust Memorial"). Still others called out for justice through visual pieces (Diego Rivera and Ben Shahn's murals depicting conditions of low-wage workers, and Tyree Guyton's "Heidelberg Project" which was created as a protest against his neighborhood's deterioration and neglect).

Dancers

I won't even pretend that I can dance, which is why I am so grateful for the agile, graceful and expressive dancers and the many dance forms that exist. Any country should boast of their own culture's expression through dance. My husband and I have enjoyed festivals where flamenco, tango, ballet, hip-hop and modern dance forms are proudly performed to the inexperienced like me. We have our favorites and some are unknowns. For example, we spent four days watching the history and many forms of flamenco but I can't remember just one dancer - I remember them all. Stunning!

Musicians

I wish I were talented enough to write music or even hear a spontaneous, original melody in my head that becomes an "ear worm"! Musicians really do have a unique way of hearing tones that become songs. For that, I am grateful for all the musicians that have sustained me through my happy, sad and pensive times, through work-outs and scouring the bathroom or kitchen, through times when I couldn't sleep, through my "me" time, and even through post-op pains.

I was raised on classical music and I still marvel at the complexities and dimensions of compositions by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schubert and Brahms. As I was growing up, I added rock, blues, R&B and pop music to my list of favorites. The Beatles, Paul Simon, Sting, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Ray Vaughn kept me company while I was commuting to school. World Music was just starting to get popular. I loved listening to Ruben Blades, Richard Bona, the Silk Road Project, and Brazilian and Argentinian music. Then, I was introduced to jazz and I was hooked. Honestly, I cannot name a favorite and, even if I had to name a favorite saxophonist, trumpeter, drummer et al, I'd struggle to list only one.

I am lucky, though. I am married to a wonderful musician. He is so proficient on the woodwind instruments and on keyboard (and he teaches improvisation so his students get that "aha" moment every time!). He came from a musical family and, if he compares himself to his accomplished brother, he feels he comes up short. He doesn't. I have heard moments of pure bliss - his guard is down and he plays from his heart. After wiping tears from my eyes, I realize that he is the biggest gift of all the artists I admire.