A Reflection

Valerie Fuchs walked down the road one evening when she came across a young man engrossed in writing, what, she could not tell. As the sun dove deeper into the horizon, the man continued on, oblivious to the impending darkness. "Sir", called Valerie, "would you like a light?"

"No thank you, my writing thrives in darkness."

Entranced by this, she probed further. "But how can you see in this darkness? Why strain your eyes? Why subject yourself to that discomfort?"

"I must shun comfort if my writing is to be worthy."

"Worthy of what? You're making no sense."

"I will explain. All good art, be it painting, music, writing, etc, has its basis in pain."

"How so?"

"Pain is a vital part of life. It is what registers deep within us."

"What makes you think that?"

"Back when humanity was on the African plains, negative events were what affected people the most because those events were more important to survival. Catching a large antelope for dinner, which was a "happy" event, was nice, but if the tribe had caught nothing, a "sad" event, they had to be motivated to remedy that, and in order for that to be realized, the "negative" emotion, "such as hunger, had to be prominent."

Valerie inquired,"But why live through pain? Is art important enough to sacrifice personal pleasure for its sake?"

"Depends on who you ask. Most people would say no. I however, am so entranced by my art that I would sacrifice everything for the good of it, including my personal pleasure."

Valerie probed deeper. "I still don't grasp why you think pain is necessary for good art."

"Art is all about emotions. Call it a cliche, but it's true. As I stated before, the strongest emotions are those which focus on negative events. It follows then, that the strongest emotions would feed into art better than the weaker emotions."

"I object to your classifications of positive art being 'weaker'. Have you never snuggled close to your spouse in front of a ravishing sunset? Have you ever watched a child grow? Have you ever seen the light in their eyes when you show them your love? What about standing in church and feeling the light of God around you? What about learning, music, hobbies? Don't they give you pleasure?"

"Yes. But that pleasure works for the general populous, and even for some artists, I'll admit."

"But you said that happiness ran counter to good art."

"I spoke of pleasure, not happiness. There is a difference."

"And what may that difference be?"

"Pleasure is empty. It vanishes as soon as its cause disappears. It's the kind of feeling one gets from watching sitcoms, for example. Now happiness is derived from experiences the universe wanted you to do; it is a reward for following the right path. If you were meant to write, then the happiness you derive from writing is a sign you are on the right track."

Valerie pondered this for a few moments before asking, "What about a life with no happiness? You're saying that any true writer must live like that?"

"Not always, but if you want to be a master, you must prepare for the pain of exorcising your deepest demons."

"Example, please."

"I once knew a girl who needed surgery three times by the age of five, had to wear glasses as a baby and a back brace as a child. She had to deal with emotional problems as a young adult, which were the result of these early traumas.

"For instance, she was manic-depressive, which means she had unusually drastic mood swings. She would be an egomaniac one hour and see herself as scum the next. When she was in these low points, which was often, she attempted suicide several times and had to be hospitalized time after time.

"But she used her pain, basing her best writings on her experiences. Several of them won awards, and she was soon published. So she became a strong, successful, accomplished woman for having survived so much and still managing to succeed.

"And why? Because of her difficulties, she had material for her writing! Had she experienced a normal life, there would have been less emotion available for her work."

"I never thought of it that way. So the writing helped her survive and grow?"

"Yes, through her pain. Although it is pointless to seek pain, you must be open to it as she was. She had the courage to exorcise the demons, which is what made her the success she is today."

After parting from the mysterious man, Valerie chewed on this for days. So art was a child of pain? It started to make sense; she could use her pain to create work that resonated with others who were hurting, and so bridge a gap in humanity.