Attempting To Fill An Empty Space

“All art is the same – an attempt to fill an empty space.” – Samuel Beckett.

As a visual artist, I have often contemplated what empty spaces in life primarily motivate me or that I am desirous to fill.  Perhaps the same is true of you.  Is it the attempt to fill the empty space of a prestigious art gallery, a blank canvas resting on an easel, the space between people’s ears with words, imagery, music – all to evoke emotion or a particular response?

I like the quote from Samuel Beckett because it can be applied to life in general and to those of you that consider yourselves ‘non-artists.’  For you it may not have much to do with artistic endeavours – but we all attempt to fill empty spaces in our lives.  And what of the people God places in our paths everyday that happen to be doing the same, whether conscious of it or not?

I think it’s important for us to first ask and wrestle with questions like these, thenanswer how through our lives and our art we can address people’s deepest longings and their attempts to fill an empty space.