Jun 13 2008
Art is Everywhere
Grand Central Station, NYC
Photo by Bernard Reilly
I had to travel to Midtown Manhattan the other day which required that I take three, NYC subway trains. On the first train, I buried my nose in a book till I reached my stop, Grand Central. As I made my way up the steps with the rest of the pack, I heard The Eagles song, Hotel California. Two men, one on guitar and the other on this box-like drum, were performing the most original rendition of the song I’d ever heard. But I did not stop. I hurried along, busy, busy. Midway through the tunnel that leads to the Shuttle train, I heard a woman singing; goose bumps covered my body as I rushed past. Then, right before the Shuttle, a man played classical guitar while talking with a suit (aka – a business guy) but I could not stop to listen. I was in a hurry. In the Times Square station, a group of men played country music; I spotted a young boy standing before them as I raced by.
Suddenly, I stopped short almost crashing into a young couple ahead of me who were apparently taking a Sunday stroll. They’re continual motioning and animated expressions made it clear they were fascinated by the music and the boy but that did not change the fact that they were impeding the flow of the herd. “Move it, this is NYC on a weekday, we’re all very busy, hurry up”, I began to yell and scream– all within the confines of my own head, of course – when I noticed their hands; they were deaf.
That’s when my pace slowed and I fell in step behind them. There was such beauty in the movement of their hands, each gesture signifying a word, a thought. I watched their eyes glide over each other’s hands and then explore one another’s facial expressions. When they reached the stairs that descended to the platform, they held hands. Wrapped together as one, their hands continued to communicate. I watched them till trains pulled in and we went our separate ways.
These two people that do not hear the music the way I do stopped to take in the beauty of it and the effect it had on that boy while I almost missed it all in my hurry to get nowhere fast. I replayed the moments I’d encountered on my train journey filling in details I wasn’t even aware I’d taken in. Though the two men playing Hotel California hoped to make a few dollars while playing they wore smiles that were less about the show and more about the genuine happiness they felt while playing. I wanted to wear a smile like that. The singing woman sang with such ease; she should be on Broadway. How fortunate I felt to hear her beautiful voice; it was a small gift. The classical guitarist had clearly touched and perhaps inspired the suit. And that little boy let the music move him. I, too, was moved but not just by the music, but by all of it, the people, the art.
Out of all the thousands of people rushing around in this city, the suit, the young boy and this deaf couple are the ones who stopped for a moment to bask in the beauty of the art being created right there, right in that moment by men and women of all colors and ethnicities. Thing is, art is being created around us all the time we just need to “see” it. It took time but eventually I stopped to look around. Ferris Bueller would have been proud. And it made a world of difference to the rest of my day. It inspired me to walk just a little slower, look around a little longer, and appreciate the dreams we all have; some of us are living them right out loud. It’s a beautiful thing.
Today, I invite you to stop and look around. Tell me you see.
Art takes many, many forms. Have you seen stumbled across art in random places and/or people creating art? Have you had any eye-opening moments recently that taught you something, took your breath away, made you laugh or changed your perspective?
Love this!
I will try to think of an answer to your question, because I’m sure I ahve one somewhere. For now, this was a great way to end the week and get ready for the weekend. Inspiring.
Thanks.
Thank you Tash. This was the perfect start to my Friday. Reading your words for a moment brought me out of my mindless tasks and away from this Midwest city I call home to the hustle and bustle of NYC. I miss it. I miss it because the couple of times when I’ve been to NYC, I’ve done those things. You notice more when you are someplace different. You take in the sights, the sounds, the smells…and you almost get run over, but you don’t care. Your words described everything so well that I easily recreated the images in my own mind. I just need to learn to do those things more often here in my hometown. There is beauty everywhere. You’re right on, we need to come up for air, look around, stop. Whatever we are hurrying off to can wait…and who cares if we’re a few minutes late.
You rock Tashita!
Scott
well last weekend i did a mini 10K and I always have my headphones on b/c i neeed the music to get me through. but throughout the race random people stand on the sidelines and cheer – so i turned off the music to listen to the people sending words of encouragment. As we moved throughout Central Park (b/c it was soo hot) the volunteers turned on sprinklers for us to run through and you could see rainbows in the water. It was really cool to see women running through the water with their hands in the air – grateful! But the part that i found so interesting is that while i am running with my head phones on listening to U2 or Rocky, the race is actually silent except for people running. When there is nobody on the side of the road, and I turn off my music, it’s just the runners – it’s pure silence.
great blog!
love,
b
I love, Love, LOVE the musicians on the subway.
They are just magical. So many of them are so incredibly talented. When I was little, I don’t remember them being so good, but now, they are almost all professional level. Amazing and inspirational. I love the feeling of being lifted high into the stratosphere while being solidly below ground.
I miss the subways in general. People think they are crowded and dirty and ugly, and they may sometimes be those things, but they are also the life blood of the city. And it’s about the people, this city. They are also about freedom. You can get anywhere in the city from the subways (and maybe a little bus ride.)
I am going to take your challenge and try to find the art where I am. I’m used to finding it in NYC, but it feels harder down here in Florida.
It is true ……… amongst the junk NYC is a has the most funk…..
( Another cool quote by JPH)
to answer your question……..4 days in Paris last month.
We’re getting pounded here in the midwest with tons of rain. Rivers and lakes are flooding. Dams are breaking and lakes are actually disappearing as they flow into surrounding rivers. People’s homes are flooding and some homes are completely destroyed! Someone made Mother Nature really mad! While driving home from work the other day, I had the thundering, blackish-green skies behind me with bright blue, fluffy-cloud filled sky in front of me…and a rainbow to boot. It was refreshing to leave the turmoil of thunderstorms behind me and drive toward one of nature’s most peaceful signs.
I had a hard time finding art around me, although I was plenty able to find beauty and inspiration and I posted about it… http://warriorgirl.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-journal-everyday-sort-of-thing.html
I got the idea (for some reason when you asked me too, I kept trying to find ready made art out there, something someone else had done or was doing. Oh, now that I think about it, there was the lovely acoustic guitar floating in the air on the cusp of a summer lightning storm,) from http://www.inspiremethursday.com/
I loved the responses to this post…Judy and Scott your amazing energy and excitement to seek out art everywhere was felt throgh your words…it inspired ME!
Bridget – I love this whole scene….I loved the rainbows in water, the women running through, the silence. This response was golden.
Katy – your ability to find beauty amid Nature’s chaos inspired me. I have been watching on the news….I send you wishes for blue, calm skies and peace. Thank you for sharing so beautifully.
John…I love that you found beauty in Paris and came up with a cool quote …you’re hilarious.
Rowena…I love that you found beauty right in front of you…you inspired me with your drawings and diving right in…I loved it – EVERYONE should check out your Page…thanks for introducing me to Inspire Me Thursday as well…
You are all an inspiration in my life.