I'm sorting through a lot about life right now and realized that I was equating science with intelligence. I know that that is ridiculous, but in my defense, I think it's a well perpetuated, if unspoken, lie. I grew up in the music world but even there I would kind of use science to measure a bit, like my mom was trying to decide whether to become a musician or a surgeon and decided on musician, but that somehow lent accreditation in my mind.
This sounds even more ridiculous as I continue on especially after having pursued science in my own life. Don't get me wrong- there are some very brilliant people doing some amazing things in science that I could never dream of even if I was a huge success in my field. But as a general rule, it seems like they have to put so much study into it that they lose their other facets. Now, if that's what you love- great! If it's not- ouch! And this is where I am finding I stand more and more.
I ran away from the art world as hard and fast as I could and have been quite miserable as a reward. People write off artists, but how often do we really appreciate their brilliance? Beethoven was deaf and still composing amazing orchestral work? Even Van Gogh gets a bad rap as some crazed painter when he was really a zealous, passionate man trying to do as much as he could while in the throws of epilepsy. You meet musicians who can pick up any instrument and be playing it well in a day or two. I love Celtic music and am always floored how when someone plays a piece once it's not just, "Oh, I think I played that once." instead it becomes part of who they are and they can play again and again from that point onward. Have you ever sat in on a jam session? Melodies intricately weave in and out among players like an elaborate dance and it's not rehearsed, a lot of times the people don't even know each other!
Why don't we give art it's due? It's not like it's just child's play. Just as in science, there are a myriad of things that I will never be able to accomplish in the art world. Now the question is can I separate my worth from that which I do or don't do?
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