LONELINESS IS AN equal opportunity stalker, indifferent to gender, race, nationality or political stance. It strikes at all hours, all seasons, all places. I daresay that there has never been a single human being who has not been assailed by periods — of whatever duration — of the feeling of being utterly alone. No one is immune. Yet, as universal as it may be, there seems to be one class of people for whom the tolling bell of loneliness is almost a given — and that hapless group is made up of creative personalities. Artists, writers, musicians — creative persons of all stripes — seem particularly prone to the affliction, their very source of inspiration the mysterious womb from which the sense of isolation appears irrevocably twinned with the creative urge. But then, could it have been any other way? Do we not envision the Creator as a sole Power, a sui-generis entity that ultimately acts entirely on Its own? It would be presumptuous to claim divinity — or Divinity — for our painters, composers, bards and storytellers — though many in the past have indeed done just that. But let’s leave that aside for the moment. If, as ‘enlightened’ sophisticates of a so-called “modern age” we dare not call our artists ‘gods’ — although “idol”, “icon”, “star” seem to roll easily off the tongues of over-excited newscasters, publicists, and assorted fans over talents both mediocre and grand — can we not still acknowledge the enigmatic bond between ‘creativity’ and ‘Creativity’?  In any event, whatever the value (which has nothing to do with ‘cost’ as I continue to harp on and rail about in these editorials) you place on human creativity, I can safely say that nearly every artist I’ve sat and talked with over the years has touched on the subject of isolation, of experiencing loneliness from time to time in the pursuit of their creative expressions. Furthermore, the depth of the sense of being ‘alone’ often seems to have little connection to what the artworld calls “success”…rather, there seems a strong connection between the artist’s sense of him/herself as an artist and little to do with how well or badly their work is being perceived by non-artists (by “non-artists” I include not only laypersons, but dealers, promoters, gallery owners, patrons, curators, buyers, docents — in short, anyone, no matter their connection to the artworld/market, who does not actually create). Setting aside the throng of persons who today lay claim to or are touted as “artists”, the genuinely creative person wrestling with expression always knows, at bottom, that no matter the good intentions, no one can truly ‘get’ what he or she is actually ‘saying’. Genuine artists know (and admit) this for the simple reason that, at bottom, neither do they. Hence the loneliness, the isolation, for it stems from the realization that not only are artists set apart from fellow human beings, but also set apart from themselves! How much easier to devote one’s life to making buckles, buttons, or bullets — something that everyone recognizes as useful commodities! How much easier to find — or fit oneself into — a painting, dancing, acting, writing, or songwriting formula that “works”, that “sells”, that is successfully “hot” on the current scene. Why knock yourself out on some esoteric urge that comes unbidden in the wee, wee hours of the night? Artists, of course, deal with it in the same degree allowed by the depth of their need to express what only they can envision. Many simply “sell out” — become what the market demands of them. Who’s to say that they are “wrong”? As mysterious as the creative/loneliness link might be, I have little doubt that it exists and that, for many, the crushing onus of isolation can simply be too much to bear. History is replete with those artists who have either “sold out” or “bowed out” — and until we’ve “walked that mile” in their shoes, few of us can say which is the more “honorable” path to choose. Yet, how grand are those few who have borne the burden and walked that thin line between prostitution and suicide to pass their unique legacies on to us lesser mortals!