Cogito ergo sum

One year ago today, one of the most important people in my life passed away: my grandfather. It was my first experience dealing with the death of someone so close and I wasn't sure how I was going to handle it. I was so filled with emotions: the grief of losing a loved one, the relief that came with his years-long battle with Alzheimer's finally ending, the happiness of learning his history and remembering our history together. I wanted everyone to understand how important this man was to me and I did so in the only way I knew how: by creating. I felt compelled to write his obituary and took on that responsibility before anyone else had even thought of it. I spent hours searching for the perfect song to sing at his funeral; I do not consider myself the greatest public speaker, but singing for my Poppa B one last time is something I felt passionate about and couldn’t not do. I coped with and expressed my emotions regarding my grandfather’s death by creating and performing. And while this was easily one of the most heartbreaking weeks of my life, I was not without comfort and I still felt whole.

Lately, I have found myself thinking and saying "I want to be a writer" too often. I don't care if I have an infinite audience or if I am my only reader - I write because I feel, and I feel because I write. I am inspired and I create. The quality of my work is relative and inconsequential. I am passionate and I believe in it. I am constantly working, constantly practicing, and constantly improving. The desire to improve and my passion for creation inspire me to continue creating.

One of the greatest things about the arts is that there are no prerequisites. Saying "I want to be a writer" puts you only a few words away from saying "I am a writer." You can sing a song and your voice may crack, but now you're a singer - if you want to be. Throw some colors on a canvas and if it inspires you, I would call you an artist. The only thing that the arts ever require of anyone is passion: to be enthusiastic and deeply emotional about what you are doing. The emotions don't even matter, which is something so beautiful: art can move a person to tears. Art can move its own creators to tears. There can be a million different emotions behind these tears, but it's still art, and it's still evoking emotion. 

Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. I am a writer and I am a musician. I create, therefore I am an artist.

So are you.

In loving memory of Paul Wentroth Brandenburger

August 13, 1934 - June 17, 2013