The Artistic Spirit

David Ackert

The following article was written by David Ackert, entrepreneur, business development consultant, author and actor.  The subject of his original article was actors, but the text has often been altered to apply to musicians, and found circulating about the Internet.   It was one such modified quote that first crossed my path.  It moved me so deeply, I knew I wanted to share it.  After researching the origin and author of the quote, I felt that his inspired words applied equally well to all sorts of artists.  So I decided to make a slight alteration of my own, changing "musicians" to "artists."  I think this better reflects the original intent of the article, and strikes a compromise between authenticity and inclusiveness.  Without a doubt, Ackert's words certainly ring true for many artists, including myself.  I hope he'll approve.  And I hope you'll enjoy his passionate insight into the spirit of the actor, musician, and artist.  

"Artists are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, artists face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they'll never work again.  Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream.

With every project, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment.  With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.  

Why?  

Because artists are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that line, that melody, that brush stroke, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul.  Artists are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart.  In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”

~ David Ackert

Flying

Great music is intensely in the moment. When the love of the music overcomes the ego, that's when the magic happens. It's no longer a group of individual musicians playing parts that happen to go together. It's like the collective consciousness of the universe suddenly bursting through a single point in time and space, expressing itself. It's the closest you can get to flying without leaving the ground.

The Zen of Funk

The groove is not about getting somewhere fast. There's no payoff at the end of the thing, no destination outside of itself. It's about being totally in the moment, right here, right now. That's the Zen of funk. People who don't get it are too busy trying to get somewhere else, instead of just grooving to the music of life.