I am not religious, and don't know from God. I do not have the gift of faith. Like Moses, I can see the gift of art, just not roll in it. But the seeing is more than enough. Art matters to me. Artists matter.
I believe the best we can do is connect. The person who takes out her brain, or his heart, or her eye, or his dick, and holds it up and says, "Yeah, I have one of those, too," matters. The person who says, "Here's what it does to me. Here's what it won't do when I need it to. It leads me astray, it leads me home, it leads me water, it leads me to poison," matters.
Art is how I know I am not alone, that there is someone in this forest with me. Someone who whispers, "I see it, too."
I am in awe of the compulsion to connect- to take your own ecstasy, give it form, and share it with people you will never meet. I want to experience the fire-walking drive to build intimacy with strangers, and have the ability to do it. I cannot understand that alchemy of creativity and generosity, but I will gobble up the gold until my eyes roll back in my head.
Prince died, which makes no sense at all. What do you do with that much cognitive dissonance? Babble, and hope it comes off like tongues.
The Quiet Miracle Michel Delgado micheldelgado.com/