Artist YOU (& the cardboard arcade)

Oh boy oh boy do I have a treat for you today. I deliver to you ten minutes of absolute bliss in the form of a video about a boy and his cardboard arcade. I know, I was skeptical about the use of a full ten minutes when Brad sat me down to watch this one.

Then Brad pressed play.

And I began to smile.

And then laugh.

I may have even clapped. (I know I did internally!)

And I loved this mini-film about creativity, and the joy that comes from others supporting and getting your art.

This little boy is an artist. And I am starting to think maybe I am, too. Being an artist does not mean you hold awards, or have some genius, or are more special than the next person. You don’t even need an audience.  (Although, let's be honest.  We all want to connect.  Be heard.)

Being an artist simply means you create.

Those who create, whether they know God or not, are pointing to the Creator in whose image they are made.

Artists imitate their Maker.

I think of the “village” Brad's mom drove us to months ago. A woman constructed dozens of scaled-down houses out of trashed glass bottles. Paintings and weary furnishings hung throughout the property. She'd used garbage to fill acres with careful displays.  She had no degree.  No training.  But she had found a passion and began to create like mad.  It was bizarre.  It was mesmerizing.

It was art.

So get out there.
Make what you love.
Mess up.
Fumble.
Spill paint and break sewing needles.
Write a blog no one reads.
Just create.

When you finish, create some more.

And encourage others who, like you, make. 
See their work.  Applaud it.
Because, as you'll see in the video, we all smile when we're understood.

Without further adieu, I give you…

Caine’s Arcade.

P.S. – There are three heroes in this film.  Caine, who makes.  Caine’s dad, who never stifles.  The filmmaker, who sees the beauty.  We should strive to be all three.