The Misfits and the Losers

In the last few weeks, I've heard variations on the following statements several times.

Creating art is stated as the reason the person is still alive.  Or that the art of someone else is the reason someone is still alive.

The funny thing is, the art in question in almost every case, was art most people would consider frivolous. Pop music. Fashion.  Floorshow performances. That kind of thing. However, to the people talking about the art, they viewed it with a kind of awe, a sense of knowing this art form was the reason they could keep living.

I think we often dismiss how important art is as a source of comfort. We think about how it can entertain or make a statement about the world. We think about how it can help us keep food on the table or help us make sense of what is happening in our lives ... but on a very fundamental level, those elements boil down to helping us to be comforted.

One of the reasons we don't often think of this aspect of art is because we focus so much on art taking us OUT of our comfort zones. We encourage the exploration of the disconcerting areas. We want to push the limits. And that IS important.

However, there are a lot of people in the world who don't have to come out of a comfort zone because they've never had one. They don't have to be pushed to their limits because they live on that edge every day.  What people like that need from art is a place to FIND comfort to FIND community to FIND escape. They need solace and often art is the only place they find it.

I'm not done thinking about this. More later.