'We're lost in music, caught in a trap...'

In his book, 'Distraction', Damon Young argues that 'distraction is the very opposite of emancipation', or to put it another way, there are so many influences on our lives (on demand TV, social media, 24/7 news etc) that we lose sight of who we are.  We are distracted away from what is really worthwhile and trade it for feeling busy.  It's a fascinating book and in each chapter he offers up ideas for becoming less distracted, more mindful and more attuned to creating who we want to be.  

One chapter is devoted to using the arts as a way of creating or simply for becoming more mindful. As he says, that doesn't mean we all have to be artistic geniuses and aim to paint like Van Gogh while singing like Maria Callas.  It's about creating and appreciating:  

'If we can’t all be professional artists, we can certainly seek this distinctive liberty in a more attuned perception and in lively imagination.  Given the attention it deserves, art is no diversion – it can liberate us from life’s commonplace distractions. What’s common is an inability to overcome education and training, to resist the baggage of entrenched knowledge.'

Thought for the day:  Spend time looking at the inherent beauty in things.  Pick an object, study it's form or how the light falls on it and appreciate it for what it is, no more, no less.  Take five minutes of your day and allow yourself to get totally lost in a piece of music, a text or a past-time.

'If even the simplest thing can transform into a tool of art, then we can’t be lax in our concentration and sensitivity.  Art can come and go without pomp and ceremony, leaving us unaware of what we’ve lost.  But the formula for enjoying this alchemy is remarkably simple: an artist who wields his tools with honesty and care, an audience with the sincere sensitivity to watch, listen and learn – and perhaps a writer to immortalise this magic.  From these bonds come some of the most vivid, gripping and profound of life’s metamorphoses.'