On summer and art

Summertime is so different from the rest of the year. The heat and end of classes changes everyone's moods. People walk differently and talk differently. Personal roles change and so do attitudes. It is hard to look at tomorrow the same when it is going to be so different from yesterday, even though you haven't moved. Everything is in the same place- the buildings, your bed, and the park benches. But at the same time, everything is always changing- leaves fall, it randomly starts to downpour, those park benches get moved, and new art replaces the blank space on the wall- all a constant, unpredictable rotation. Summer comes and goes. It is different every time, but there is the predictable heat,  which brings lust and friendship and hope with it. There is so much possibility and opportunity with new free time and better weather. The question of what tomorrow will bring is great and that makes everything strange.

Why is this summer different from all other summers? I am done with school- for now. I am in this weird state of limbo where I can do anything, but I also need validation of my personhood from others. My current personal identifier is college grad, but the implications are murky.

I have been thinking a lot about social relationships and how they relate to our own definitions of selfhood. 'Who am I' is so significantly shaped by those around me and who I surround myself with, i.e. other New Yorkers, my family, who I choose as friends, who I engage with in other life aspects. An inspiration for this reflection has been art. Lately, I have been hitting up some of the great NYC art spots- including MoMA, PS1, 5Pointz, the New Museum, and the Whitney Museum. 

Art is this weird thing that can just be there, existing, and make you feel so understood. It can actually make you feel a lot of ways- happy, sad, confused, and even disinterested. Sometimes I look at a painting and just think This person understands me and I have never met them. 

It is kind of like that C. S. Lewis quote: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” 

You aren't the only one when you look at art because even if there is not another person there you are talking to, the art is your friend and you feel that understanding. At the same time, personal interpretations and feelings towards art really are dependent on what you, the audience, bring to the mental table. By this, I mean however I am feeling or thinking shapes how I also feel about a piece. My feelings towards the same piece of art constantly change throughout time not because the art is different, but because I am changing.

As a human, I am constantly adapting to my new environment and learning. Summer marks a time of difference for everyone because they feel differently about it, just like art. Summer- thou art art.