State of the Art
I believe that art is a channel to the core human spirit — the thread that connects us all. I believe that empathy is a byproduct of understanding our oneness. I envision a world where the work of storytellers is a touchstone of our judgement, where humans feel empowered to share their perspectives and deepest truths through creative expression. Everything I do is in an effort to ignite and unveil the creative power that lies within each of us, so that our work can expand us into a more conscious and empathetic species.
At the beginning of 2017, I was overwhelmed by confusion about my career, my relationships and my life. I felt little sense of direction and had lost the footing and momentum that I had hustled to gain since moving to New York City in 2014. One night, whilst in a deep YouTube spiral, I came across Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on starting with ‘why’. It inspired me to look for the through line in my life; something that would connect all the projects and passions that I had pursued in my 25ish trips around the sun. I became obsessed with deciphering my thoughts and beliefs, and it led to a year of uncomfortable growth, terrifying breakthroughs, and a deeper understanding of my true self.
I became a conscious consumer, maticulously choosing what content and ideas were taking up my time and brainpower. ‘Empathy’ emerged as a common theme of the videos, books, and podcasts I was giving my attention to, and it became a sort-of happiness trigger that lit me up. I started to understand that ‘empathy’ was simply (or not so simply) the knowing of another person’s ‘why,’ and acknowledging and accepting that deep down we are all the same. We were born as blank books, with much of our early chapters written by the people and experiences that filled our childhood. We are taught to love and to fear, and they become the foundation of every decision we make, however perceivably big or small. No matter who or what we become, we are cut from the same cloth — energy. Some people call it source energy or the Universe or God — we’re all, quite literally, made from of stardust.
I realized that all of the experiences in my life that felt ‘out of body’ or like ‘pure bliss’ — were examples of tapping into that source energy. Many of those experiences were tied to some form of artistic expression. Concerts, movies, paintings, songs (the list goes on) that made me feel something were chipping away at the shell “protecting” my most true self. Each crack in the wall exposed a little more of my light, the same light that lives in every one and every thing. I know this all might be sounding a little hippie-dippee-woohoo-voodoo-y — but the understanding of these concepts and ideas have brought me an overwhelming sense of peace and joy that I’ve never experienced before.
It’s become my mission, my ‘why,’ to unveil the light that lives in other people because once we know we’re all the same, we can’t help but feel empathy and gratitude for everything and everyone that is playing a part in our human experience. Art is an access channel, a shortcut, to that inner light. Meditation, or prayer for some people, is another way to click in to that divine oneness. I’m focused on helping people understand and harness their own creative power, which is an extension and expression of that inner light. The work we create that comes from that place of deep truth — can (and will) tap in to someone else’s truth and help them see their own inner light.
State of the Art is an expression of all of this. It’s the vehicle with which I intend to do this work of exposing the inner light, and igniting the creative energy that is inherently part of us all. I can’t say how it will grow or change over the course of my life, and I’m certain the ‘what’ will shift and shape to the constant stream of new storytelling devices and information sharing networks. Right now, today, it looks like this Medium article. This year, it will be Facebook LIVE conversations, videos, workshops, and whatever else the Universe has waiting for me.
I know that this work will come into the lives of the people who are seeking it. Shit, YOU manifested the fuck out of this article. It came into your life because YOU brought it in (but we’ll get into that another time.) If you feel inspired or empowered by anything you read or hear or see coming out of State of the Art, my only wish is that you share it with someone who you think could grow from experiencing it. This caravan will inevitably expand, contract, fly, crash, sail, sink, and everything in between. No matter what, it will certainly be a great adventure.
Here we are.
call me beep me: @MrMattRodin all throughout the interwebs
