When Art Inspires Life
One of my clients recently expressed frustration with herself over the amount of time she had been spending “escaping” into TV shows. Work, marriage, family — all areas of her life had been crazier than ever, and she was struggling to keep up, to feel like she measured up in any way, and was constantly questioning whether she was “enough” for anyone. Over the course of our conversation, she realized that the shows she was watching were serving a much greater purpose for her than just escape. I reflected on why her words rang a very familiar bell with me.
There is a reason why art — shows, books, movies — the stories of fictional characters (or sometimes non-fictional ones) is so meaningful to us. It is not just entertainment; it is a certain kind of inspiration.
For example, I’ve always found movie trailers to be uplifting. And my client’s story helped me to see the reason why more clearly. A movie trailer presents you with a story in the course of just several minutes. It usually says something along the lines of: These characters are in an impossible situation. If you had to figure out on your own how they get through it, you most likely couldn’t, because it seems unsolvable. So that’s why you need to see the movie.
Because somehow, over the course of the story — with some dramatic moments, some funny interactions, maybe some music or moments of…
