Identity

It's nearly midnight and I just got home from the month series for artists of la fonderie. There were 18 present, including 5 people new to this new monthly meeting format. As usual, I was stimulated by the discussion of the artists present.

One man is a painter who must be around the age of my father, or perhaps just a few years younger. His wife came as well. She started out in the fashion world, then got into creating frames (for her husband's works). She ended up even teaching on the subject of making frames. One man joked about how the wife worked to "frame" (in French, it's the word encadrer, which works better than the English word) her husband, both literally and figuratively. In my experience, a wife often helps "frame" the work and life of her husband. While I haven't considered this artistic idea before, I'll need to reflect further on the analogy.

The main theme which developed tonight was about the "identity" of the artist. Is the artist the same on stage as he/she is off the stage? On the one hand, yes, as he/she needs to have a certain energy. Otherwise, the performance is flat. On the other hand, no, as he/she should be the same person on and off the stage. The word "sincere" comes from the Latin root meaning "without wax." Vessels "without wax" would hold water without leaking. Those with wax might look just as good at first, but eventually would leak.

One singer shared about going to a coach for her stage presence. This reminds me a little of Star Academy and Project Runway, shows about helping develop young artists. From what I recall, the ones on Star Ac that lasted to the end were those who really had to look at identity questions and "se remettre en question" ("look at themselves in the mirror and raise questions about themselves and their motivation, as well as their performances. Those that didn't, even if they had great talent, ended up not having the extra whatever it is to become truly great.

Someone commented that in France, it is easy for critics and the critical spirit to "descendre" someone (bring someone down). For this reason, it's even more important to remember our identity in Christ, who is our #1 supporter.

Someone suggested that it is best to only give positive, constructive encouragement right after a performance, as artists are particularly vulnerable then. It's often good to say something positive, then raise a question. This can help an artist to know if something isn't clear.

It was a crazy weekend and day as well, so it took a lot of effort to get out the door for tonight. However, it was worth the effort.