“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” Twyla Tharp (from Artpromotivate)
Are artists running away through their art? Is running away a good thing? So many people wish they could run away everyday. Few have the means. Artists do it daily.
Running away is generally thought of in a negative sense. Running away and escapism seem to be interchangeable to the vast majority of people who are not artists as though it is a bad thing. Runaways, who are not artists, do so as a last resort because something in life has become unbearable. Rather than deal with it, they run away, thus the negative stigma. If artists regularly escape into art it would indicate a positive action. As Tharp points out, we run away without leaving home.
In an entertaining travel blog called Nomadic Matt, the author states, “And, instead, I’m running towards everything – towards the world, exotic places, new people, different cultures, and my own idea of freedom.” He is making the argument for a lifestyle of running away. Even though it sounds exciting it is not always practical for most of us so we do it through art. Some artists are fortunate enough to do both. Being an artist may be one way to live a nomadic life. Maybe we are all nomads at heart. Some just stay home while running away.
I regularly run away to the swamp. I wonder where others run to?
