“If you’re not dispossessed, why make art?”
I thought it was interesting how much this quote stood out to me from Aaron Rose’s short film, Beautiful Losers. In my Arts and Letters class we recently discussed the topic of finding opportunity in adversity. In an interview with Seane Corn, a renowned yoga instructor, she mentions how she used yoga to reconnect with the “shadows” of her past, allowing her to accept them and use those experiences to improve her work both as a yoga instructor and advocate for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Aaron Rose beautifully demonstrates the stories that each of the artists had to share about their journey to self discovery. Most if not all of the artists claimed to have felt rejected by their peers, unsatisfied with conforming to the mainstream culture around them. Struggling to find who they were as people and as artists allowed them to find the inspiration that drives their work today.
Rose mentions that one of the reasons for the creation of his film was to inspire artists to not be afraid to pursue their passions. “Art can be for whatever reason you want…” I found this idea very inspiring, embracing the idea that art shouldn’t necessarily be about aesthetic appeal, but about the intent of the art and the message it is trying to illustrate. Creativity drawn from within the self as opposed to that driven by popular culture is the type of art that Aaron Rose encourages through his film. By using our past and present experiences, both positive and negative, as opportunity to create art, we can hope to place meaning behind our messages and ultimately inspire others to do the same.
Painting above: Chris Johanson, I Am What Is Called Human.
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