I heard a TED Talk today about what makes life worth living. It was about a study done by a psychologist that found that people that had mastered a skill or were in the process of mastering a skill (music, art, slicing fish...) were more fulfilled than those who didn't.
The study referred to people that would perform their skill and go into a state where they could block out all things around them and lose themselves in their skill. They called it the "FLOW". Musicians call it the "GROOVE". You lose yourself to your passion. Time stands still and nothing else is in your head except your focus on your task.
I find that art does that for me now. In my youth music did that for me. I think that as artists we can escape the world for a while and not be inundated with the troubles and worries of the day. When we get done we can go about our business as usual fully knowing that when we need to we can escape.
Here is the link to the talk if you are interested.
http://wuwm.com/post/what-makes-life-worth-living
The study referred to people that would perform their skill and go into a state where they could block out all things around them and lose themselves in their skill. They called it the "FLOW". Musicians call it the "GROOVE". You lose yourself to your passion. Time stands still and nothing else is in your head except your focus on your task.
I find that art does that for me now. In my youth music did that for me. I think that as artists we can escape the world for a while and not be inundated with the troubles and worries of the day. When we get done we can go about our business as usual fully knowing that when we need to we can escape.
Here is the link to the talk if you are interested.
http://wuwm.com/post/what-makes-life-worth-living
