"Marvelous Innocence"

As I hearken back to my earlier, childhood perceptions of life, the world was nothing short of a labyrinth of wonder. As a child, I believed everything was mystery and magic, life held no other possibility than the promise of endless possibility. In addition, my imagination was constantly saturated with the notion of a cosmic force that was larger than myself and consequently beyond my realm of understanding. - -This idea of the great mystery along with every image and sound of the phenomenal world culminated into my emotional faculties; producing deep feelings but most importantly: dreams.

This was no more evident than during holiday season. I deeply believed in the presence of the inexhaustible spirit of a particular holiday, no matter what holiday. For example, when Christmas or Halloween came around, my childhood understanding of the spectacle was similar, in concept, to that of Tim Burton’s film The Nightmare Before Christmas. I was utterly sold on the idea that somewhere in existence the spirit of a particular holiday claimed residency and was unleashed into our everyday reality when due. An innocent belief, of course, yet a very significant one: this mystical notion not only jazzed me up for the forthcoming holiday, but more importantly it delivered an irrepressible urge to wonder. Unfortunately, we all have to grow up, meaning that ideas of this sort gradually become distant memories. Now, in my early adult life, I have a nostalgic feeling towards the holidays, needless to say nostalgia is not quite as powerful as actually believing in the spirit of the thing like I did as a child. I guess in a sense, something is lost.

I’ve always had a theory that artists maintain a very special relationship with their inner child, almost a symbiotic one. An odd dynamic no less, because the appreciation and understanding of the act of making art is very much an adult thing, whereas the act itself is made manifest through the innate curiosity that we harbor as children. Art is most certainly a means of interpretation and reflection, in other words an examination and celebration of life and yet our sense of art is toned down considerably as we are educated away from infancy and into adulthood. Too often, many artists fail to bridge the gap between the conceptual aspect of storytelling and that other, more innocent, aspect of the eight year old explaining to his parents how he felt during his first day in school or when he laid eyes on those beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. If creativity “were” indeed the spawn of innocence, then I would say that an intimate relationship with the child inside you is bread and butter for any artist. Whether they are aware of it or not, I believe most artists have in some way or another channeled the more innocent side of themselves, with a touch of reason for good measure, and used it consistently for their chosen craft.

GeNeRaCiOn AsErE/danny del mazo (Cali-for-ni-cation)