Aesthetics

©As a musician, even as a blues guitarist, aesthetics define my taste, my style. Because of such aesthetics, I'm inclined to grip it and let it rip. That's a style that speaks to me.

It's all about influences and taste, to me, as an artist.

It's also about what makes me tick. What moves me, and what gets some meaningful or soulful response from me.

Growing up, I tended to gravitate towards certain songs or playing styles. Always very eclectic, going from rock, pop, blues, to jazz, big bands, classical music, and opera music. Even my appreciation of art pieces, from paintings to sculptures, to structures and architecture. They spoke to me, they meant something to me, and some would resonate with the artist inside of me. 

Yet, there was always something in common in all of it. I liked soulful music. I didn't notice any of that because it didn't matter to me to know the "why." I was all about emotions, strong feelings, getting goosebumps.

I wanted to become an artist because of what art meant to me, what it did for me over the years, and how it made me feel. I figured it would be awesome if I could create something that would move people, to help them heal and live with joy. I wanted people to feel what I felt, to bring them comfort.

That is who I am as a person. It intertwines with my identity. My identity as a person is part of my musical identity. I resonated with the soulful playing styles because they were speaking to me in the same language I would respond. 

The understanding of who I am as a person is something that took long many years to come to me. I now have finally understood who I am and learned to accept myself for who I am. 

It is through that knowledge that I understand how I fit into this world. It gave a deeper meaning to what I have to say. Now I know what I am born to do, and I have embraced it. My art has a lot more meaning and depth because of it.

Those are many of the reasons I related to Victor Wooten so much. As I read through the chapter in the book To Be An Artist about his interview, I recall hearing some of the same words his mother told him.

Wooten says, In life, one of our main problems is that we are all trying to be someone else because we think we have to be, to please other people. But the easiest thing to be is ourselves and realize that's a great person to be. What the world needs is the best version of you possible.

I couldn't agree more with him, and it all reflects more and more on my art.

©All Rights Reserved - Mauricio Bernini

Grossing

What Is Art?