"A musician must make music,
an artist must paint,
a poet must write,
if he is to be ultimately
at peace with himself.
What a man can be, he must be."
-- Abraham Maslow
I have a dear friend who is a guitarist. I don't say guitar player. That title I might give to myself, but he is a guitarist. He's got a special talent at the guitar and I have always loved listening to him play and sometimes sing along and entertain a group. He's good in a group as well, but really shines as a solo artist.
I've also had the rare privilege of recording music with him and finding just the right chord voicing. He has helped me with some of my own songs and in each and every case improved them dramatically. He is an artist and he is a musician. He is also one of the sweetest men you could ever meet, so full of love and interest and charm.
On more than one occasion in the thirty plus years I've known him, he was going to lay down his instrument and play no more. Each time that I knew about it I did everything I could to change his mind. To throw away something so valuable was unthinkable to me. To bring joy everywhere he played is too powerful an attribute to take so lightly.
Fortunately, he's come back again and again. I really think that when we have a gift like that which brings joy to ourselves and others that it is a gift that needs to be shared. It is aliveness in us and it begs to be expressed. To give it up would be to die inside
We are all multitalented. There are some things that we do that is probably not our main gig, yet they are such a part of us. Sometimes we might call them hobbies. So often we might think that if we aren't making money with a skill or talent, then it isn't really valuable. How sad that idea is. Making money might be a skill in its own right, but it should not be given so much importance that it rules our entire lives.
Sing. Dance. Play Music. Create. Enjoy. It's All Love.
Spread Some Joy Today--Do what brings you joy today!
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