My art was basketball. I know what you’re thinking… Sports aren’t art. But that is where you are wrong. They’re a different kind of art. None-the-less they are art and athletes are the artists.
Let me explain. I loved basketball. I loved the way it broke me down, the way it took everything I had. The way it challenged me like nothing else could. I was in love with it and it broke my heart into a million pieces. I fought. I couldn’t let go of something that made me feel so much. So, I fought to put the pieces back together. I fought for every moment I had with it. I went through hell and back for it.
How lucky I have been to have something that makes me feel so deeply. To have something that challenged me in every way possible. Something I could fight for and something that I will carry around with me forever- both the triumph and the hurt. It is strange because my art is over. It had an expiration date. But it still lives on and influences my everyday life.
It is art because it broke me down until I was laying there, shattered on the floor begging for peace. Then, it helped me build myself back up again. It made me better. It changed my life. How does something do that? How does it take so much from you and then give it back 10x more? It was beautiful in the way it helped me become who I’ve always needed to be. Art does that to you.
I think we all have something in our lives that does that. If you’ve ever committed yourself. If you’ve ever wanted something bad enough, it probably broke you first. It showed you who you needed to become, and it helped you rebuild into that person.
The great stories end in success, in championships, in awards, in best seller sections. Some of us don’t get that. Some of us are the unseen artist who do it simply for the joy and the opportunity to become more. Some of us lose in terms of the big stage, and we walk away appearing empty handed. But those of us who lose in this sense still win. We win because we’ve put our art out there, we’ve let it transform us, and we’ve no doubt touched (at least) one life.
Don’t hesitate because you are not the best. Don’t give up because no one sees what you have to offer. Don’t hold yourself back from the world because you are too scared to try. Don’t be afraid of the fight. Your art matters. Creating your art and putting it out there will be your biggest victory of a life time.
