WE ARE ALL ARTISTS AND MYSTICS

I've been working on this documentary about a couple of graffiti artists in NY from the late 1970's and it's made me look at graffiti and art in general in a different way.  We were shooting in Astoria and went by the subject's old house and he started looking at rocks in his old garden.  He then went on to explain that when he was a kid, the first time he realized that his father had any artistic talent was when he found intricately painted rocks in the front garden.  His mother explained to him that his father was the one who was painting detailed pictures of ships onto the stones......a fascinating moment, when the graffiti artist realizes that his father was scribbling on stones before he was spraying his murals on the sides of trains...........it made me think of the creativity inside all of us and how we in this society are so quick to label things.............native americans have no word for art and no word for religion......there is no separation  between who they are and what they create and how they express their connection to the spirit......art and spiritual connection are a constant which runs through their being in everything they do in every way they act.........their is no specific time to create art or to praise they beauty of creation ...........everything that is created, is created with the inspiration of a creative greater energy.........there was no such thing as creating something for the sole purpose of being observed........but instead every item had its purpose whether it was clothing or utensils or tools and all were created with the utmost attention to detail, a high visual aesthetic, and an instilled spiritual energy..........this interconnectedness between art and the spirit created full and contented human beings with a deep respect for their environment and a subtle but powerful way of adding an inner artistic vision to everything in their lives.

It made me think of those paintings on the cave walls in France.....I think the simple act of being human drives our whole being to create....from the moment we are born, we are expressing our unique vision in everything we do and everything we say....so let's all embrace that creative vein that flows through us all, and realize that art is the beauty that a life well lived creates......let's create in every moment of our lives and let's not do anything without total concentration and pure purpose........let us all start writing on stones and instilling our environment and our lives with the mystery of divine inspiration once again...........