I could write a 300 page thesis on this subject alone. It is the reason, I read books, listen to music or watch a movie. I want that piece of art to change how I see the world.

• I remember walking across a warehouse floor where I worked and hearing the opening guitar solo to Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane. I stood mesmerized.
• I remember buying a random classical CD after buying my first CD player. It was Mozart 21st piano Concerto. I’ve been a big fan of classical music since.
• Wally Lamb’s book I know this much is true was a life altering experience for me. I was going through a divorce at the time and I was struggling. I was also struggling with this book. And then it all came together and made sense.
• There was a summer afternoon in 1984 when a girl named Amy slipped the first two REM albums into my side pocket..

And there was three Three Colors Trilogy (1993–1994)

This celebrated series consists of three psychological dramas: Three Colors: Blue (1993), Three Colors: White(1994), and Three Colors: Red (1994), all directed by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski. These films are spectacular. But it was also at this point where I love foreign films with depth. I have been a fan of Art House movies ever since.

I am merely scratching the surface. When I listen to music it is spiritual to me. I rarely ever watch blockbuster movies. One of my favorite activities on a plane play is to watch as many foreign movies as I can.

And currently one of the biggest influences of how I see the world it’s a book by George Saunders. The book is entitled A Swim In The Pond in the Rain. This book discussions, various short stories and intimate detail. Saunders is a professor in upstate New York and does a wonderful job of walking to all these Russian novels. This book has affected how I read and how I write and how I view the world.

That is Art.