Genius + Generosity

I have had the great privilege in my life of traveling to many countries. And wherever I happen to wander, my wife and I always make a point to visit museums. We especially enjoy those that display the uniqueness and diversity of culture and art – whether it be a small-town museum in west Texas that celebrates local heroes of the rodeo culture or the world-renowned museums of Paris, London, and St. Petersburg, Russia, filled with the classic works of creative giants.

I’ve been in the presence of the world’s largest stuffed prairie dog and beheld a prized Jimi Hendrix guitar. Strolled in wonder and stopped dead in my tracks in amazement at the sheer genius of Monet and Rembrandt. I’ve peered through glass at the personal scribblings of the greatest of Irish poets and spent a few solitary moments with the mysterious Mona Lisa.

History tells us, loud and clear, that there is no shortage of genius in the realms of literature, music, and art. Whether it’s the mastery of a canvas that moves you or the sheer passion of a lyric that touches you in the deepest part of your soul, we can all agree that our lives have been made richer by the unbridled imagination and creative geniuses of this world.

Music doesn’t just touch the senses, stimulate thought, and awaken memories. Dance is more than physical movement as self-expression. Art doesn’t just bring color and texture and image to a canvas. Writing and storytelling reach far beyond the confines of literary device or verbal mechanism for dispensing information and conveying thought and emotion. In fact, they’re not just random forms of creativity and personal expression, either. They are gifts. Gifts that open the way for our human-ness and our true heaven-ness to find one another – awakening the heart to embrace all the imagination, wonder, beauty, mystery, sadness, pain, and joy that become the most elegant of life’s dances.

All the world’s a stage, after all – and those who stand the test of time, rising above the rest – they are the ones who have stood in humbled awe of their own gifts, moved by the knowledge that their genius is meant to be married to generosity and shared with a world in dire need of the inspiration they provide.

History has proven them to be unforgettable, because they expressed their experiences of life through their art. Setting tones and tempos to music that makes us gasp in wonder. Painting and dancing and sculpting their way into all of our lives. Now, it’s up to us to remember and preserve their impact. We must…and so I leave you with this challenge and charge:

“Live your songs in such a way that your memories become melodies and your melodies become memorable.”

Whatever art form you have chosen to express your journey, remember that “the world is waiting for you, not another version of another.” So, live your authentic life, discover your unique genius, find joy in your journey, give your all, and be outrageously generous.