Introduce Yourself : Some thoughts on the nature of art by Steven Gizzi

First of all, hello Stage 32 community! I just created a profile here, so I'm still trying to find my way around the site. Over the years, I've become more and more passionate in my creative pursuits, and by way of introduction I thought I would share some words on how I've come to think about the nature of music and art in general, in hopes that it might inspire some discussion. Do you agree with my viewpoint, or am I totally off base? Anyways, here it goes: Art does not exist in a vacuum. It is a team sport. The fundamental nature of our creative expression lies in an existential search for truth. It is the result of our essential need to leave a mark on the world - to have something tangible to show for the excavation of our own minds. The artist who turns his back on the world and creates his work purely for selfish reasons does not contribute to the communal search for truth, nor does he reap the benefits of collective effervescence. The beauty of culture is that it transcends the individual and becomes a living, breathing organism that is continuously evolving. Art, in all of its disciplines, is constantly being broken down, reassembled, reinvented, bastardized, proliferated, explored to all possible extents. It is intangible, universal, omnipresent. It is both a catalyst of life and a critique on it. As artists - and we are all artists - it is our duty to analyze and explore what the world has to offer us. It is our duty to reach out and collaborate with any and all that cross our path. It is our duty to be learning, practicing, and teaching in a continuous cycle. That is the healthy lifestyle of a true artist, one that we all strive to ultimately reach.