Art and About
Engaging with the creative force in everyday life

I have titled this post with someone else’s title. I’m hoping it is not construed as plagiarism, since I do it only because I cannot improve on the brilliance behind it, and trying to paraphrase it or do a catchy headline for my blog would be demeaning and insulting. Please read the words of Dr. Karl Paulnack in his welcome address to the parents of the freshman class at The Boston Conservatory. Dr. Paulnack is Director of the conservatory’s Music Division.

The Big, Invisible Moving Pieces

I am constantly in awe of when, where and how art will spring forth in our world. This article ran in the San Francisco Chronicle last November and I continue to think about it as an inspiration that no endeavor in our lives needs to be merely mundane: Artist whose medium is hardware store windows

One form of creative expression about which I contemplate occasionally is graffiti. Mostly, I’m talking about the mural-like paintings that appear on large public structures, and not simple profanity or scribble scrabble. I believe that someone picking up a paint can and creating art is, at its essence, engaging the creative force in everyday life. However, the goody-goody in me can’t ignore that it is marring someone else’s space, someone who was not consulted in the artistic process, and therefore is disrespectful.

An article in Stanford Magazine has helped me to reconcile my emotional vs. intellectual response to graffiti. It tells the story of a woman in Philadelphia who has found a way to harness the creativity in tagging and channel the positive force behind the vandalism. It seems most cities could follow her lead. Have a read:Painting the Town