DEFINE ART

I think I’ve been sitting beside artists all my life.

When my older brother was in 6th grade he got into a fight and was called into the principal’s office. My Mom brought me along and I heard every word of the principal. He wasn’t going to suspend him because he was a contestant for an inter-school poster-making contest in a few days. He won.

I started associating art with delinquency.

When I was in 6th grade, I sat next to an artist in class. His name was Sid and he drew anime. I asked him to draw me one of the characters from Dragon Ball. He said he would, but he never did.

I began associating art with broken promises.

I sat next to an artist in high school. His name was Martin and he drew landscapes. In September, he was asked to represent our class in a slogan-making contest. He didn’t draw the usual polluted Earth with the message “Let’s save it.” Instead of gray, he used blue. Instead of brown, he used green. And instead of ambitious plans for the future, he wrote “Let’s bring it back to the way it was.”

I associated art with everything opposite of the norm. Everything reverse.

I sat next to an artist in college. Her name was Meryl and she drew unicorns. People teased her a lot about being childish, not in touch with reality. Sometimes they called her a flake. I asked her once why she doesn’t just draw things that were real. “They are real,” she said, almost defensively. “They’re real to me,” was her answer.

I associated art with things surreal. Limitless possibilities.

I sat next to an artist without knowing he was one.

His name was Chris and I asked him what he liked to draw. I asked him what he liked to read. I asked him what he liked to eat. He never gave a straight answer. He was quite delinquent.

He asked for my number and said he’d give me a call. I stayed up all night waiting by the phone that never rang. I didn’t cry. Guys break promises. It was just a fact of life.

I saw him with a group of girls. Tall, pretty, flirty girls. I excepted him to ignore me. But instead he broke away from them and headed towards my direction. I’m sure any guy would’ve loved to be in his place. But he seemed to want just the opposite.

He told me loved me. And I didn’t believe him. But he looked straight at me and in his eyes I saw… limitless possibilities…

I finally knew that art, was all about love.

END 17:17 03.08.2006