"art never comes from happiness."

Have you ever been inspired by a painting, a song, a picture, or something that someone said? I don’t mean just liking it, but feeling something intensely deep just by what you see, hear, smell, and touch. If you have, you’ve had an encounter with a real, genuine, priceless piece of art. 

It’s a paradox. How can such beautiful art never come from happiness? But whether we’re looking at a picture of a happy family laughing together or listening to a song about lovers, we are inspired because we become nostalgic for those moments in time. The photographer who may have been laughing with the family knew of the transient nature of this moment. So he captures it in his camera. The songwriter who may have been on cloud nine with her love writes her feelings into a song because despite her intense wishes for this to last forever, she knows the possibilities that it may not be forever. Art is beautiful because it contradicts what we know in life and inspires us to do more than just accept what’s around us at the moment… and make it better.