Art is Meant to Disturb

The Mask of Mental Illness – By Christopher Dale Eshenbaugh

I can see that my new life will be full of the unknown, but that is what can make it exciting and creative.

Many great artists were neglected or even abused during their lifetime because their work was considered too provocative.  Painters like Van Gogh, poets like Blake or Poe, and novelists like James Joyce were pushed out to the margins of society because their vision was too disturbing.

Most of us like a comfortable life, and those of us who are addicted to one high or another may not want to be troubled by new ways of seeing and imagining the world.  Yet, the day comes when our addiction no longer satisfies us and we begin to long for a new vision and version of our lives.  Art can help us in our recovery. 

Art allows us to change our way of looking and living, even if at first the change is disturbing.  Like artists, we can create new images and new patterns for our lives.  At first, it may be painful.  Old, comfortable habits die hard!  But, as we move forward, taking our little baby steps, by baby steps, we come to see that it’s exciting to be on the move and even at the frontier of new, creative endeavors.  Creativity, after all, comes from loving ourselves and others. 

I Can Be Myself in Public and Private - Especially with Those I Love

I love acting. It is so much more real than life. - Oscar Wilde

Many of us have gotten used to playing a part. I know that for me, I sometimes hesitate to reveal my innermost self because I may have felt ashamed of who I really am. We can go through life with our true selves hidden by the masks of our false selves. Some form of dis-ease has compelled us to be false, and we may have even taken pleasure in playacting. It may have made us feel good at times to know we’re deceiving everyone around us, including our friends and loved ones. There were times when I am certain I fell in love with my own cleverness.

Eventually, if you’re like me, we become tired of being someone else. Our lovers, partners, our children and our friends became confused and hurt by our games and our inconsistency. They long to know us as we really are. As we gain the courage to get to know and love ourselves, we can drop our masks and let ourselves be seen and know and loved by others. Our lives, and theirs, will be richer.