Tonight I pulled up Netflix instant play and watched this documentary “Man on Wire”. It’s about a french man, Philippe, who back in the 70’s made it his obsession to walk on a tight rope drawn between the World Trade Center towers. The film is exceptionally well put together, with amazing photography and tons of actual footage of the days leading up to the event. What instantly drew me in was his undying passion for his art. There’s no way to explain it without just watching the film. In his words he said, “It is impossible that’s sure, now lets start working”. I just love that. How many times have you said that yourself? It’s impossible, but lets try it anyway? It seems like it’s a growing trend that we say, “eh, I think it’ll be a little too hard, lets try something else”.
anyway, that’s not really where I want to go with this. There was another quote (the title of this post) that I want to get to. After successfully going back and forth between the two towers, the cops arrest Philippe and as he walks by the reporters they shout out, “Why did you do it!?”. Philippe simply replies, “There is no why.”
There is no why.
As an artist, I love this statement. It seems too often that the things we do must have a reason. Everything is based on logic, control, reasoning… Why can’t we do things just for the sake of doing them? For the experience, for the expression, for the freedom that comes in actually creating something! Creating is something that I believe we’re all drawn to in one way or another, but most of us stop when we ask ourselves the questions “why do I need to create this or that?” or “What will I say when people ask me, ‘Why did you create this?’” I guess simply tell them there is no why.
I’m learning more and more everyday about myself. About what I should or shouldn’t be doing and the one universal truth I have come to is that I must be creative in what I do. I must create art. My problem is that I am trapped into feeling like I need a reason for it. I guess what I learned today is there doesn’t have to be a reason. There doesn’t have to be a why.
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