The Power And Impact Of Art

Yesterday I went to see the film Dear White People. It was a very well put together movie, and I enjoyed it. I could go into critic mode but that really isn't the point of this post. One of the things that struck me was the way the film was shot. I had read an interview earlier in the week where the filmmaker heaped much praise the way of Spike Lee as an influence. It very much showed up in the way the movie was shot, wrote and directed. This is clearly not a knock, since Spike is one of my all-time favorite directors as well. When left the theater and strolled around Williamsburg; I was taken back to the first time I saw Do The Right Thing, and the impact it had on me a young black man in Philadelphia just getting involved in the arts and finding my voice in the world. To say that it moved me would be an understatement. It helped to shape my voice and spoke to the frustrations that I was encountering in my world. It challenged me and my worldview.  It (along with the music of PE, BDP and others) ushered in a radical self-preservation social and political frame of mind.  My hope is that young folks (and not so young) will see this film and hopefully be impacted the way that I was 25 years ago. I left the theater in 1989 wanting to see change and make change. A fire was sparked that is still burning. The methods (my methods) may have changed, but not the desire. It is and will always be in me.

Art saved my Life, and that is not hyperbole by any stretch of the imagination. When I enrolled in Freedom Theatre, roughly 25 years ago as well, I was at a crossroads in my Life. I was making horrible decisions, and was associating with some folks who were assisting me down the path of Self-Destruction. I literally was spending most of my money on alcohol and other less desirable things. Then I had an encounter that snapped me out of it. It wasn’t an immediate turn around but that night I knew I had to leave some people and things behind. Later on I would speak with an old high school counselor who encouraged me to give acting (comedy more specifically) a try. She recommended I take some classes and that led me to Freedom Theatre. After my first class, or maybe second, I knew I was on to something. It bought me a joy that I had forgotten existed. I was anxious every class, but I WANTED to do the scene work. No one forced me to be there. The money I was spending on alcohol was now being spent on acting books, leotards and tights. I kept a journal, I studied and I wanted to get better. I made friends that I am still tight with to this day. I had a reason to live that had nothing to do with Friday or Saturday nights at strip club or any other clubs for that matter. There was a new purpose in my Life. I’ve since expanded my scope but I’m forever grateful for that beautiful beginning.

I believe deep down I knew art and creativity would be a part of my Life. I remember seeing the movie Night Hawks with Billy Dee Williams and Sylvester Stallone, and the scene where Billy Dee’s face was slashed as he was running though a NYC subway station. The women in the theater lost their collective minds yelling at the screen. I was like wow…I want that. Seriously! I would skip high school some days and go down to CAPA (Creative And Performing Arts High School) to hang out with my best friend. When his mom- Aunt Bev- would catch me she would make me stay with her in her class, so she could keep a close eye on me. I would act like I was pissed, but I was also more than a little intrigued by what they were doing in her acting class. I remember these things from 25 and more years ago more vividly than I can remember what I had for lunch last Wednesday. That alone lets me know how powerful art can be, and with that type of power comes great responsibility. At least that is what I choose to believe, so I don’t take any aspect of my creativity lightly. If I am gonna share it, I want it to mean something. If it only moves me that is cool too, but it has to at least do that. Art can move people, and I want mine to move folks in the “right” direction.