Word of the Week #303:
Do you ever go back to the pieces of art that played a fundamental role in informing your understanding and appreciation of art, the world, and your relationships with both?
We all have those few books and movies and this and that which combined to make us who we are now, right?
What happens when we go revisit these?
Occasionally, I will rewatch a movie or reread a book, and it will open to me avenues that I had really not explored earlier. That is one of the most rewarding experiences.
However, more often than not, when I revisit these works from my formative years, I find them rather obvious. Banal, even. I cannot evade the nagging notion that I could have made them better than they are.
It makes me realise that even though they may have helped me reach where I am, I have also far surpassed them in the process.
And no, the nostalgia of it all really does not appeal to me.
It is a bittersweet experience for me. Like when you outgrow your old tricycle, or when you no longer see your old training wheels as beneficial.
However, it is especially sad when you feel that way about people instead of art. Old teacher and mentors and idols whom you have either caught up to or even surpassed.
As grateful as you may be to their early contribution in your life, it is so difficult to continue your relationship with them, right?
I suppose it is just another weird aspect of growing up.
In time, the student shall become the master. And the master shall become irrelevant.
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