The Artist is Dangerous

Like us, the artist experiences. But it is the artist who takes “experiencing” and transforms it —an act of alchemy— into artifacts to transform living. Art lets us see with new eyes and opens a doorway where there was none.

One artist gives structure to our surroundings and turns a space into sanctuary. Another artist exposes universal truths that would otherwise stay hidden. Personality, madness, or creative force can provoke insight and interpretation. It can elevate the mundane to the sublime, or give meaning to the overlooked. What was there, but was not seen is exposed. We can feel what we had not before, or we can remember what we felt but forgot.

The artist is dangerous to complacency, a threat to power, and a curse to darkness. And while artists may do so differently, what they do individually is capture the essence of what we value. My favorite music, my art are gifts of transformation and sanctuary. I thank the artist for that.