Artnik--A Creative Revolution

Beatniks were travelers--sometimes on the road of life, sometimes only in their heads. Like the gummy, distorted artistic depictions of them in black shirts and berets, always they stretched themselves, trying to find new perspectives. Testing philosophies. Moving their minds forward. "Carpe diem!" a rallying cry.

Like the beatniks, music informs and enhances what I do, though the word "beat" has been changed to "art"--for it is within my many artistic endeavors that I stretch my own boundaries, always searching for the voice within. I may not be the first of the artnicks in practice or philosophy. But it is in that tradition that I begin this blog.

One voice among many, at a distinctive timbre, can sometimes be heard through the cacophony. Maybe you'll have to listen closely. Lean in, turn your head to the side, squint your eyes to block the confusion of combined sight and sound. Perhaps you can make out the words. And they speak to you, connect with some synapses already in place and reinforce the pathway. From a dirt track to a paved road. More connections. A four-lane urban street. Soon, a superhighway moves through your mind.

Maybe there are side roads you hadn't explored. Cross traffic that impededs your progress. Or stop lights that give you pause.

Maybe you flip a U-turn and go right back to where you were.

But if you spent any time exploring...and if you learned something new about yourself...if your mental map became clearer, more focused, more colorful...then I've done what I set out to do.

Join your voice with mine and sing, voices rising above the din. Enjoy the ride on this neuron. Or watch through the window as the rest of us cavort. However you choose to be a part of this creative revolution, I welcome you.