n. the kind of unnoticed excellence that carries on around you every day, unremarkably—the hidden talents of friends and coworkers, the fleeting solos of subway buskers, the slapdash eloquence of anonymous users, the unseen portfolios of aspiring artists—which would be renowned as masterpieces if only they’d been appraised by the cartel of popular taste, who assume that brilliance is a rare and precious quality, accidentally overlooking buried jewels that may not be flawless but are still somehow perfect.
I do think brilliance is all around – hiding as he beautifully notes – in plain sight…
Yes, so true, we do indeed miss this in ourselves first and then in others. 😉
“Imagine how much courage it takes to keep showing up in the face of indifference….” I think of this so often when looking at great art or reading something brilliant, wondering what the back story is. I think it’s why I enjoy writing about contemporary artists so much. To have the courage of your convictions, to keep pushing ahead when so many voice are telling you to stop, or worse yet, ignoring you altogether. I so admire those who ‘put it out there’ come what may…
Yes, what fortitude and courage…
Lori; why didn’t I first read the comments? You said it so much better…. 🙂
Stunning! It brought tears to my eyes.
Yes! That good!
One of my favorite artists, hhhmmm!
A master curator. Yes, I always wonder, if he was right there in front of me, would I have noticed?
Thank you for sharing. Have a beautiful weekend 😊
Smiling. You too Sawsan.
… reaching out in the face of indifference, trying to give people permission to care….
I knew and have heard the ‘story’ of violin player Joshua Bell who got totally ignored when playing as a busker in NY’s streets – only noticed by children (who were then pulled off by their busy mothers)….
David, you should really give the link to this fantastic channel on YT. It’s a precious find….
Thank you.
I always give money to buskers; because as a struggling no good musician I have to admire anybody willing and able to go out in the streets and playing for an undiscerning and uncaring public. They deserve a tiny reward even if they are sometimes quite ‘useless’ in their trade – but with our small token we encourage their sharing of a talent, their gift of doing something they love, their courage, their performance in the face of today’s indifference. What a beautiful post this Saturday (it’s the Le quatorze juillet in France….. it’s quiet like in a church in the street!! – A Sunday on a Saturday. The BIG fireworks in our place went off yesternight and nearly blasted the windows out of the house!)
Believe this is it Kiki…and good for you to give money to buskers. And nothing like fireworks…
That’s where good marketing comes in. Unfortunately, most people with talent don’t have time, or money, or the inclination to market themselves.
Yep. Shame….
I sometimes miss the days of taking the metro into downtown Montreal and catching the various buskers. So many started that way – Loreena McKennitt did it for years before finally “making it”. Who knows how many of them actually are going to make it? I also always encourage them…
I don’t miss my daily train for buskers, but for two hours of reading time I lose when I drive in.