Borrowed Glasses

Some of the people who have most changed my life don't know I exist. Many of them are writers; all are artists.

If I hadn't collided with their work, this article wouldn't exist.

Strangely though, when I try to identify the specific books, articles, videos, or songs of theirs that have impacted me most, I can't.

How can I say a person's work has changed my life if I can't point to a single piece of work that did so?

That's when it hit me.

It wasn't their art that moved me. It was their perspective, and art was just the medium through which their perspective flowed.

I don't buy a book because ink on a page is valuable. I don't even buy it because the prose is perfect. I buy it for the opportunity to put on the author's glasses.

I’m paying for the privilege of seeing through their eyes.

When I read an artist's words, watch their video, or listen to their song, I get to see the world through their lens.

Sometimes, when I sit down to write, and my words fall hopelessly short of perfection, I want to hide. I want to procrastinate. I want to wait until I have something worthwhile to say.

But the people I admire most never delivered perfection. They just delivered their perspective. And that was more than enough.

Even if your art isn't as good as you want it to be yet, don't be afraid to share. Give people a glimpse into how you see the world. It may change them more than you think.

If you want to wear other artists’ glasses, maybe someone wants to wear yours too.

"Obvious to you. Amazing to others." - Derek Sivers