“Being an Artist”

By Stephania Romaniuk

At the moment I’m taking in Adele’s new single “Someone Like You,” which for me comes after a few months of delving into different types of pop songs and learning from the artists who perform them.  Not that I’ve had heart-to-hearts with these artists, but the beauty of the Internet and the “replay” button make it more convenient to take in different types of performances at will.  And if you’re familiar with the show “If I Can Dream,”—it follows the lives of aspiring musicians/actors/models—you likely have had a glimpse into the personality and views of Alex Lambert, former American Idol contestant.  I mention all this because of the great ways that the Internet enables us to learn from the performances and experiences of others.

For me, Adele’s performance of this song “Someone Like You” is riveting.  She has the pipes and, especially for a 21 year old, an incredibly mature presence and visceral connection to the soul of the piece.  You can’t buy that kind of raw meat in a performance, if you know what I mean, and frankly it’s inspiring to watch performances of this calibre.

For his part, Alex Lambert taught me about performance confidence.  His insistence on believing in yourself, and then being able to watch him in practice (within the surely limited confines of a weekly Internet TV show), did in fact change my life a little.  I watched him rehearse, learn from his mistakes, work with other artists, and give his own performances.  His trademark confidence always shines through, and, from my own personal history of performances, I must say that confidence is just so important.  Increasingly I’m finding that confidence in EVERYTHING is so important!  The flip side is, of course, having humility, being able to listen to others and to think critically about situations – all of which act as a balance to cockiness.  But barring shameless conceit, I think most of us need to remember to be confident in our abilities a little more of the time.

Adele and Alex Lambert’s desire to communicate through art reminds me very much of Matisse’s, as he states in the following:

“In art, truth and reality begin when you no longer understand anything you do or know and there remains in you an energy that is all the more strong for being balanced by opposition, compressed, condensed.  Then you must present yourself with the greatest humility, completely blank, pure, candid, your brain seeming empty in the spiritual state of a communicant approaching the Lord’s Table.  You clearly must have all your accomplishments behind you, and have known how to keep your Instinct fresh.”
(from Jack Flam’s “Matisse on Art”, p. 173. *academic integrity, after all . . .*)

Gorgeous words, which I think have an application beyond the arts as well.  Matisse speaks about living in the present moment and finding your energy and peace there.  Whether it’s that blissful moment of “flow” in a musical performance, on the biking trail, out with friends, or even finishing the perfect personal statement for your university applications, honesty starts from the here and now.

And with the holidays upon us, I’ll be wishing you all “energy and peace” for the holiday!

Thanks for reading, and keep checking back for updates!

P.S. So who are the artists who inspire you?