Testing Testing

July 26th, 2017, 10:40 pm

There are no words to truly describe the feeling of emotional pain. We have broken, damaged, hurt, distress, and so many more words that get close but don't quite hit the mark. It seems that only a guttural scream, a wail, a breakdown, or a bout of depression and unorthodox thoughts could describe the feeling. A pure description is visual. When a person is in so much anguish that others around them can feel it just by observing the facial expressions and body language of another, that, my dear, is true pain. Words are only there to fill in the blanks and to make us feel in control. They tell us to communicate to others how we feel but in reality these words that we have grown accustomed to don't really tell the truth behind the emotions. They just give the idea. They give the idea that we feel a specific way but no matter how hard we try to put our emotions into words and no matter how hard we try to portray these feelings to others, we will always fall short of our goal. True emotion is felt, true emotion is seen, true emotion is heard, true emotion is not spoken. 

We each feel the generalized emotions differently. Anger is different to each person, sadness is different to each person, love is different to each person. Each emotion triggers the same part of our brain but they do not trigger the same reactions in each of us. Just because you test on five different subjects every year and are able to come to the same conclusion doesn't mean that the rest of the world is subject to it. Scientifically, we are all the same, but when it comes down to it, are we really? 

My favorite way to interpret my inner demons is through dance. I turn an emotion into a physical movement. The energy I feel within is transferred outwardly and becomes written across my face and extremities. Every movement is laced with a different expression. Another way that these emotions are presented is through composition. A song. Whether instrumental or lyrical. Words cannot portray the truth but the feeling behind those words can. The true meaning is hidden in the linings of the singer's voice. You hear the anguish and the distraught in their tones or you feel the love and joy in the melodies. People also use art as a form of release. Paintings or sketches of the turmoils within their own minds. A sculpture is also a way to bring those turmoils to life. Dreams, nightmares, visions, thoughts, all placed onto a thin piece of paper or onto a canvas. Those images are the true angels and demons coming out to play. 

Whether it be through writing, acting, singing, dancing, drawing, painting, composing, or any of the such, I dare you to feel. I dare you to open your heart and see, hear, and or feel what the artist put forward. Because the only way for you to truly know another's struggle, is to read between the lines.