Rivers and Tides

Last night we watched “Rivers and Tides,” an amazing documentary about an artist who uses only natural objects and mostly everything he creates doesn’t last – much of it is made intentionally near tide lines or out of unstable materials like ice.

I was moved, deeply. It’s shocking to see someone so committed to their art, even as it is so fragile. There must be many pieces he creates that no one sees but him. Thankfully, he’s also a swell photographer and can at least make a record of each creation. This man, Andy Goldworthy, knows that he was made to make these sculptures and he is not deterred by their instability or by a lack of a defined big-picture goal. He simply must create them.

I long for this. I long for the certainty that there is value in my art, my creative expressions. Perhaps I need to know the value within me, not the applause and approval.

Here are more photos of some of his sculptures.


Here's a clip from the documentary: