“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
(Henry David Thoreau)
A friend of mine showed this quotation to me not too long ago, and I think on it nearly every day now. I think of the airport teller whose smile stretches as long as his native country, of the sunglasses far too big for the face of a little girl I caught sight of on the plane, of genuine smiles, kind words, polite gestures, and all of the things that either ease my day, or simply make it more beautiful, via human beings. It's really incredible to think of all the interactions that change my day, each day.
There are so many ways in which I can act, in turn, to be the kind of artist I desire to be. A painter of canvases covered in compliments, encouragements, thought-provoking questions. A sculptor of good deeds. A musician of songs that play generosity and compassion. And a writer of positivity. I think perhaps that's the kind of artist I'd like to be. Don't you?
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