Inspiration: The Truth of Things.

Inspiration can come from odd places. The most common objects of inspiration are the beautiful sunset on the billowy clouds of a late summer sky. The experience of some life changing event, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one. Some amazing event leading to an epiphany of sorts. Other times, rare times, inspiration can come from the unexpected, the simple, something that seems to just appear in your life at random, release the cover from your mind and whispers, wake up, I'm a desire that has been here all along.
I find myself lately, inspired by a friend. Even motivated to take another step forward in my writing career. I catch myself thinking, maybe its not so dumb after all, perhaps, like everything else, writing is an art and a talent that deserves the same time, the same respect, as the other artistic mediums. I have been, from many sources through the years, somewhat brain washed into believing that writing is the lesser of the art forms. Everyone has a right to it, and who is to say that one person has a talent for it and the other does not. A "writer" is merely someone who can sit down and put words to a page, perhaps even get those words published in type with their wallets. Without fear of sounding elitist, I've always known in my heart that is not the truth. A person may be able to pick up a guitar and make sounds, or even a note, but it takes practice, discipline, and knowledge of the art to create a beautiful, skillful melody. A child may make an item with play dough, but next to the sculptures of Michelangelo it is a rose without petals.
Part of the confusion with art is that it does involve your emotions and your heart. The most beautiful products of a person come from the depths of their souls, from the love of their hearts, and from the sweat of their brow. From this people have come to be afraid to judge the worth of art, because emotions are something that is called a subjective truth. If you are sad, it is necessarily true, no one can tell you that its a lie that you feel that way. However, this doesn’t make art un-judgeable, it dose not mean that art can have no standard of greatness. If that were the case (which it is) you will get what you have today. Some pieces of art, in every media that are completely bereft of talent, skill, work, truth. Excuse me for sounding so harsh, but to be completely honest, you get piss in a jar with a cross, and call it art (everyone remember that incident?). When you accept this philosophy of accepting all things, you are automatically striping away the dignity and pride the real artists have for their craft. Their time and effort, their sweat, their knowledge, their lives, are all gone to waste, because someone putting 5 minuets of their time into a 'art' piece and someone who puts 5 years of their lives into their art are viewed necessarily the same, and just as gifted as the other. No wonder the truly creative spirits feel so deeply in distress.And to my friend. My deepest respect and awe for what you do. You’re younger than me, but you have made it so much farther than I ever have. You inspire me to continue to try, to be proud of who I am and what I do. I applaud you, and I cheer for you, every step of the way in your career. You have an amazing talent, you've worked for it, never be discouraged, you will inspire more through your personality, and your beautiful talent.