Art, development, and me...

Have you done something you always do, then go "why did I just do that?" When a show ends, and we bang our hands together like penguins, why? When we are nervous, or mess up, we giggle, why? When someone is sad we hug them... why? I have this class, four hours long, that gets my 'creative juices flowing' (what an awful, awful expression). It makes me question everything I do, everything I see, and try to destroy some of the subjectivity that takes over my every day.

The world is a ridiculous place, when you think about it. We just go along, worrying about what we are wearing, what people think of us, who likes who, what are we going to read next, passing glances at the depressing news that surrounds us. We like people, hate people.

What if theatre and art really do have the power to save the world? Why do we look at a painting for thirty seconds before passing it by, pretending we appreciate the hours of labour, the energy, the creativity, the love, the person that went into it? Why do we leave a theatre, and think "that was good", leaving it at that? Why are we pleased by TV shows and films that barely scratch the surface of what is real, of who we are, of what we want? Why do we let ourselves get away with "I know what I like, and I don't like that" without considering that? We can't judge art after looking at it for 10 seconds. It is impossible. I now actually listen to hip hop or rap before saying "ick". Sometimes, with consideration, I realize that it isn't actually ick.

We are trained and socialized to see things in a certain way. We sure are missing out.