If you’re fortunate, you are the kind of soul with whom art has its way. You can’t stop the command of tears or physical response when faced with the really mind blowing stuff – theater – music – literature – paintings – sculpture. Or when the the highest evolution of creativity is so perfect and true that you have an out of human experience with it. Rare and beautiful moments to be sure.

In varying degrees, experiencing art is a personal passage of understanding. We may not know why we are drawn to an image, a color, a medium. We are just still before it. Or we vibrate wildly with it. Even the mediocre stuff is worth the discomfort of experiencing – it gives us the chance to be the critic. Who doesn’t need that once in awhile?

I recently saw an exhibit called Build Hope, Not Walls at Big Medium in east Austin’s Canopy development (do yourself a favor and vistit Sa-Tén for a delicious nibble when you go). The event was a fund raiser to help immigrants and refugees and each artist created a brick.

Gasping 150 times must oxygenate the blood pretty thoroughly because I left feeling elevated, energized, and very grateful on so many levels. There’s plenty of research out there siting how art affects the brain, but you don’t need to read about it – go experience some. Or better yet, make it yourself. It’s so good for our grey matter to get off it’s usual course and explore completely new and spontaneous ideas.

In the mean time, here are just a few of the bricks that helped build my hope.