What The Academy Awards Can Remind Us About Ourselves

Hype. Pageantry. Red carpet. Lame jokes. Lousy masters of ceremony. Paparazzi. Outfits that only People Magazine could appreciate. Wardrobe malfunctions. And all points in between.

You've seen it on TV many times before: the Academy Awards. But for that matter, it could be the Grammy Awards or the Golden Globes or any one of countless awards ceremonies. Frankly, the statuette doesn't matter. Nor does the genre. And you certainly don't have to be a fan of awards shows on TV.

What is most important is the passion underlying these celebrations of creativity. It is the beauty of an artist, diving deep within, to find something bigger than themselves - and then to share it with the world.

Much as we might think that being a movie star or a rock god or celebrated artist is a charmed existence - that isn't always the case. That's just the stuff we see on the surface or in the tabloids. We read their words on the page. We absorb their images on the big screen. We dance to their notes from our speakers.

In 90 minutes on the silver screen, or 3 minutes of a song, or the split second required to catch on film the moment that defines a generation, we know exactly what IT is. It makes us laugh, cry, rejoice, rebel, or just smile. It moves us - sometimes, deeply.

But for the artist, it is not easy to come by.

It requires going to places deep inside to find those beautiful words. It requires reflecting on difficult times to tap a level of emotion that notes may never adequately describe. It requires being raw and vulnerable and allowing ourselves to let our thoughts and images spread their wings. It may require reflecting on demons that challenge us, or slaying the dragons that antagonize us.

The same passion, the same creativity, exists in the great orators and heir ability to rouse the spirits of an era. It exists in the great thinkers who were prepared to go to the edge of thought and peer out over the abyss without fear.

The passion - to create, to inspire, to tap the creative beauty that lies deep inside ... exists in all of us.

The challenges, the demons, the fear, and the doubt ... exists in all of us as well.

Some will have a fleeting moment in which thier works of art are acknowledged by their peers in a gala event in Hollywood or other exotic locale. The vast majority won't.

However, we are all creating our own works of art on a daily basis -

“All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.” (Shakespeare)

Unearth your passion, whatever it is and wherever it exists. Defy the fear and doubt that chains you. Delve into that which moves you deeply. Let it inspire you to create something remarkable - on whatever level. Embrace that which drives the very essence of your being. Live it. Breath it. Be it. Share it with the world. And don't wait another moment.

Photo credits: Damian Gadal