B.A.D.A.R.T.

“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” John F. Kennedy

As we stand on the precipice of yet another ledge of change no less constant, I find a peace in the fact that we can still imagine. We can still tap into that inner space (the real final frontier), unhindered if we so choose, and mine its untapped genius. This genius is not determined by intelligence quotients or statistical brainwave data. It has the distinct ability to see beyond the seen, a possibility no less available than what we place on canvas, paper, screen, stage, or film. Our imagination lends us sight beyond seeing. Let us see what we can truly see.

How does our ecosystem and imagination connect? Is not the ecosystem bound by a set of biological rules, chemical recipes, and set occurrences while the imagination is unbridled? How does one imagine a world?

“The Creator built this world from the timber of creative imagination.” Wintley Phipps, singer, songwriter, record producer, minister, and founder of the U. S. Dream Academy…

Is reimagining life on earth a reconfiguration of the same puzzle pieces into an alternate configuration? In case we find ourselves looking to create a new world, we must first go within. There can be no true revolution without unfiltered revelation. If so, we run the risk of a repeat, with only a change in roles and regimes. Our so-called solutions, then, would only serve as topical bandages and behavior modification. True change is rooted in the thinking. To truly create from scratch, we must be willing to dig deep and question everything we think we think we know about history, religion, education and other social systems. Even our own family dynamic which yielded the person we think we are.

We would also have to question art as an institution and its western canonical origins. Why we prefer to see what we see, and our overall perception of what art is. We could be much more just if we developed sight beyond the seen and see with more than the visual eye. Our physical visual perceptions have been tainted with a biased story that affects every decision we make, consciously and unconsciously.

The most common denominator we all hold is that of spirit. Spirit has no denomination or delineation. It just is. That’s where the real sight is. The real imagination. One that allows us to truly see each other beyond the labels ands packages. I’m not advocating that we are all the same or need to be. I prefer many colors on my palette. I am advocating however that those things become secondary to life itself. No different than a yellow or red rose, a long or short stem. It’s still a rose and the essence is that of a flower.

This is a call for a resurrection of spirit, a soul revival. Art has the capacity to serve as that arc of electrical impulse that awakens, reuniting us in and through spirit. That’s the X factor. The missing element. The resurrection. Art is an acronym for A Resurrecting Truth. A truth that awakens each one of us to ourselves with the ability to see with heart over hang-ups. That is the new Earth awakening; a reimagined life in the cosmos. Art is the language that can cut through all the labels and packaging. Art at its foundation, is soul speak. A language of the spirit that speaks beyond verbal communication. Let us release ourselves to the pull of the cosmic order beyond fear, bridge ancestral distances, and resurrect truth. I am convinced that it will set us free and inspire the awakening of the new world from within.