Editorial by - Tina Martin-Brown

When it comes to art what exactly does it mean to be gifted, and how does that compare to one who has simple artistic ability. Michael Angelo called the concept of being gifted meant also being tortured. He called it “his Agony and his Ecstasy”. For him being gifted was a double-edged sword. Many people with artistic gifts speak of the urgency and need for self expression. The need for expression is so great that their very life depends upon it. The need to allow the passion within the soul to be free through expression has been blamed for the insanity that has engulfed many great artists. The need to express the essence within ones own soul is what makes an artist great but the inability to do so can lead to depression, frustration and insanity. The true artist is one with his art. It is a way of revealing one’s very own soul to others, expressing the deepest wishes, desires and beliefs. It is true passion on display. To criticize the art is to criticize the artist. For many artists, artistic expression is what makes life worth living. It is where the center of the Universe lay. It is the “high” that no drug can compete with. Art can become the one true love of many artists, no human lover can compete with the intense passion that art inspires within the artist. 

No matter what ails the artist, art is the greatest healer. Depression becomes a nostalgic heart felt painting, anger becomes a powerful expressive novel, a broken heart becomes a stirring love song. The emotions of the artist are expressed distinctly in the art. The expression becomes spiritual, it is a personal, intimate story that the artist is telling the world, revealing the naked soul to the eyes of the world. It can be pure joy or deep despair. Revealing the soul can be an act of great courage for the artist. To put such deep passion and vision into a work of art then have someone simply dismiss it with a wave of the hand can be a great disappointment for the artist. Art can be an artist’s sole way of expressing love and if that art is rejected it can be a mortal blow to the heart. Artists tend to see beyond “worldly” matters to the deeper meaning of life. This can make them feel “out of sync” with the rest of the world. Art is the bridge that connects them with the world they live in. In summary, most artists would say in essence, "Being an artist isn't something I chose to be or even want to be (sometimes it's so very painful); but it's what I HAVE to be. It's an itch I can't scratch enough, a constant monkey on my back. It's like a highly addictive drug and a lover combined; being without it is agony. It is the pain of pure pleasure. Even at the expense of what artist sometimes feels the world needs his gift and even his pain. Art is where humanity and divinity meet, the pure inspired beauty that art brings to life makes the world an exquisite place to be.