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something I am grateful for today
Feb. 15th, 2013 10:05 amMy friend Michael Allen -- if he were still with us, he would be 58 today.
I always respected the purity of Michael's artistry. He was the sort of person who would suddenly decide to take up a new artform, instrument, what-have-you, seemingly on a whim... and then with no prior training or study suddenly be able to do it. Usually with a unique, strong and distinctive voice. We saw this happen most spectacularly when he suddenly decided to “get serious about” painting because there happened to be some paints lying around his apartment... and from there he went on to one-man shows of his work in Toronto. But he was also a musician, an author, a poet, an actor... gosh, so many things.
And he was one of my closest friends -- I would not hesitate to say that I loved him. In our many lengthy conversations, he showed me new ways of looking at things, he encouraged me to try new things... he could see that there was more to me than I or anyone else realized. I became more than I was because of his insight and support. How often can you say that about someone?
I always respected the purity of Michael's artistry. He was the sort of person who would suddenly decide to take up a new artform, instrument, what-have-you, seemingly on a whim... and then with no prior training or study suddenly be able to do it. Usually with a unique, strong and distinctive voice. We saw this happen most spectacularly when he suddenly decided to “get serious about” painting because there happened to be some paints lying around his apartment... and from there he went on to one-man shows of his work in Toronto. But he was also a musician, an author, a poet, an actor... gosh, so many things.
And he was one of my closest friends -- I would not hesitate to say that I loved him. In our many lengthy conversations, he showed me new ways of looking at things, he encouraged me to try new things... he could see that there was more to me than I or anyone else realized. I became more than I was because of his insight and support. How often can you say that about someone?
