{"id":13508,"date":"2013-05-21T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2013-05-21T07:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zatista.com\/blog\/?p=13508"},"modified":"2016-07-19T20:44:52","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T20:44:52","slug":"life-lived-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zatista.ie\/blog\/2013\/05\/life-lived-art\/","title":{"rendered":"A Life Lived for Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever felt as though a piece of art changed you? Forever altered the way you see the world? It sounds idyllic, but I like to believe it\u2019s true \u2013 not as an artist teaching, but as a student, constantly engaging with the many forms of expression I encounter each day. Today was one of those days that a work of art moved me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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"Art is not what you see, but you make others see" - Edward Degas, www.pinterest.com\/zatista<\/p><\/div>\n

I stumbled upon a YouTube video a friend posted on Facebook. It was a short documentary about the story of a 17-year-old boy living <\/em><\/strong>with terminal cancer. He was faced with months, maybe weeks to live \u2013 and so he did. Zach Sobiech turned to music as a means to say goodbye to all of his loved ones. Zach\u2019s song \u201cClouds\u201d<\/a> has reached millions on Youtube, and is now available on iTunes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we’ll go up, up, up\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But I’ll fly a little higher\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We’ll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Up here my dear\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When I get back on land\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well I’ll never get my chance\u2028<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Be ready to live and it’ll be ripped right out of my hands\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As I watched Zach tell his story\u00a0(albeit through some tears), I started to wonder about the way in which we are all living. I also wondered about art’s place in this life. What if someone told you you had one year, or one month, or one week to live? What would you do with that time? Would you travel? Would you run a marathon? Would you write a song? Would you tell someone you loved them? Would you get married? Would you mend a friendship? Maybe you would paint a masterpiece. Or visit a renowned artwork in a foreign country.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to find out you\u2019re dying to start living.\u201d \u2013 Zach Sobiech<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps we should change the question: What would you do, if you knew you could not fail? Would you run a marathon? Would you write a song? Would you tell someone you loved them? Would you paint a masterpiece?<\/p>\n

Fear is what stops us from determining our greatness. Zach reached his family, and people everywhere with his music. It will go on forever, even if Zach cannot.<\/p>\n

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"The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt" - Sylvia Plath, www.piccsy.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Millions of people are remembered today because of what they left behind \u2013 a little piece of them. Whether it be the ceramic decorated mosques of the Ilkhanids in the Middle East, the water lilies of Monet, the crooning of Frank Sinatra, or the forever relatable words of Dr. Theophrastus Seuss, we remember these icons for their art and their message.<\/p>\n

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"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" - Dr. Seuss, www.blissfulroots.com<\/p><\/div>\n

So, the next time you contemplate drawing, or writing, or singing – be sure to do it. It’s sure to be extraordinary, and it’s bound to have an effect on another human.<\/p>\n

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