Tonight, as I experienced two very disparate examples of talented and passionate people, I found myself thinking (not for the first time) that I wish I had such an outlet. One of those performances was the Grand Rapids Ballet Company's Nutcracker. A group of dancers spanning from children to adults, with an amazing ability to express beauty and strength through their body's movements. And a passion great enough to make the demanding workload worthwhile.
The second act was my own brother. A kid who always walked to the beat of his own drum (literally and figuratively, although thankfully he retired from drums and stuck with guitar). He performs in front of rooms full of people, confident in his craft. It's not only because he's good, really good, but because he has put himself so wholly into every note that leaves his instrument. I can see that seven hours hunkered down with a guitar, practicing and writing music, isn't work. It's a justifiable reason to forgo sleep.
I want to be inspired by something in that way. To be so firmly grasped by an excitement and a need that even the work feels like part of the joy. I think that trying to translate life, as filtered from my vantage put and pushed through a lens, is the closest I've come to that spark. Even if my photos don't end up being meaningful to anyone but me, I'd still consider it a worthwhile venture.
(I suppose that technically I saw three performances tonight. You're looking at a photo of the lower half of a folk/hipster ensemble worn by one third of a local bluegrass trio.)
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