Each person, I have always felt, is unique. Each collective mass of body, mind, and spirit is, inarguably, an unparalleled example of individualism. For some time now, however, I have begun to spot patterns in people, clusters of characteristics that cause individuals to be lumped into groups. The more people I meet, the more evident these patterns become.

       Among the most intriguing of these patterns is a person’s response to and his/her relationship with art. On the one side, we have the Creators, those who see beauty in every turn of phrase, in every delicate brushstroke, in every captured image. The Creators are nature’s artists, people who look at the world around them in a way that most others cannot see, and who try to reflect it back to them in a beautiful, distinctly different manner.

       On the other side, we have the Destroyers. The Destroyers are natural critics, those dark souls whose greatest pleasure is to take something beautiful and tear it apart, picking and pulling away pieces of it until nothing remains except a bare, ashen skeleton. Destroyers, for some unknown reason, seem have an easier time in this platform of life. They outnumber Creators significantly, gathering around us like sharks in search of fresh blood, trying to snarl and snap at us, eager to suck out our creative juices, to leave us cold, dejected, and lifeless – much like themselves.

       But the wonderful thing about being a Creator is that we are not easily destroyed. Certainly, they can rip us to pieces. They can poke holes in us, call us names, and defile the beauty that we create. Such acts of needless abuse can hurt our feelings, maim our spirits, and damage our souls. But the pain is temporary. Creators have the power, the gift, to create. It is what we were created to do. And by continuing to create, we can defeat the Destroyers. 

       Beauty will always win.