Artists are heroes

There were no red capes folding and flying in the wind. No cats were saved from burning buildings, no Purple Hearts were pinned to lapels, and no emergency landings were made on the Hudson. In the cozy, dark, warm space of The Monarch on a Monday night, there was not an obvious hero to be seen. And yet I found myself surrounded by the most courageous people I know. Artists.

I have a pretty good grasp on what it takes to be an artist because I am one. And I can say with total certainty that living the artist life is not for the faint of heart. It’s not because of the late nights, the variable (read: unpredictable) income, or the crazy schedules. It’s because every artist dedicated to their calling is willingly going into a vicious battle, daily. We take a knife to our ego and gut ourselves over and over again to birth each creation. In public. And if our own internal Fight Club wasn’t enough, then there are the external enemies. The weight of societal expectations and norms has broken many a bone, and often those closest to us are the ones pouring salt on our wounds. Yet the artist still creates.

In February of 2023 I had the privilege of painting to live music at The Monarch Music and Arts Community. A small group of musicians got together and jammed. They shared themselves and their gifts, they supported each other’s varying levels of experience, and they smiled. A lot. There was so much love in that room, and some killer music. On the drive over, a David Bowie song popped into my head and I started by filling up the blank canvas with his words. As the musicians played, I painted and danced and painted some more. Art creating art. It was awesome.

Artists show up, over and over again, and dedicate themselves to their craft. They get knocked down, they get up. They get told no, they keep looking for a yes. I guarantee if I had asked, each of them would have told me that Big Music (read: Nashville) told them they weren’t a good fit. Yet they still play. They still share. They still create. They still support each other. To me, this is the epitome of courage… to keep showing up and sharing love in the face of fear and disappointment. This is the path of the artist.

As long as we breathe we will have this one choice: to live in alignment with our truth or to let the external world choose our path for us. Artists courageously choose truth, over and over again. They are heroes. And they give us permission to do the same.

Artists remind us that we can all be heroes, even just for one day.

Photo credit Christine Mueller