luxury of art

Luxury is when one can think about fulfilling desires without having to worry about fulfilling needs.

I did a few things in these last few days – did a special gym session on toning my body, watched a movie in a theatre, got a haircut, watched a Cirque du Soleil show at Royal Albert hall, booked tickets to India for a weekend trip to attend a wedding, bought a special perfume for mom which is made and sold online from a discreet corner of the UK. And I realised while I was doing these things that I did them because I wanted to, for myself, for my own happiness, even if the object makes someone else happy it is still making me happy in the end, for experiencing joy out of the money I earn. And then I realised this is what Luxury is all about.

I have the luxury to – cherish my body and give it the attention that it deserves, experience something unique, do something to keep a promise to friends and family. Being able to think beyond today, beyond needs, beyond worries, beyond sadness. Being able to change a longing into a fulfilling experience. For others it could be different. It could be that someone wants to treat a salary like a lottery, like spare cash which is only meant to be spent for enjoyment. Even that enjoyment could then be very different. Buy designer products – sunglasses, perfumes, bags, shoes, watches. Spend on something – anything and everything because you want to feel the joy of being able to spend. Experience a special occasion – fine wining and dining or a spa session or magical show that take you out of the real world and its miseries or looking the most attractive ever, even if just for an hour or flying off to the most pristine piece of nature tucked away in a neat little cosy corner, waiting for you to explore it.

Oh the joys of being human. And then I also begin to realise that art is like luxury. What luxury is to needs, art is to the soul. Its redeems it. Fills it with inspiration to go beyond the ordinary. song, dance, colour, design, form – they break the shackles which bind our souls to mundane everyday life. I think back and even within my miniscule art repertoire, I have come close to experiencing that inspiration which art brings. And its not skill that I am describing here, skill will come only later with effort and time dedicated at honing it. This is just the glimpse of the potential that art has.. The joy of being able, the first time, to play a tune, race a bike on winding roads, sing a song on the highest notes, pick the perfect camera angle, complete that extra spin in perfect rhythm, recreate the flavour that only mom’s cooking has, convey thoughts in seamless flow of words.. it goes on...

Luxury is about experiencing and cherishing art. When your daily work is just that daily work, but your life evolves on to have more dimensions, more meaning, more experiences and more happiness.