artist = angst

when I was young (weren't we all just so smart when we were young?), I thought the premise that great art is born out of angst.... was silly. surely one did not have to suffer for their art! but, after a while, making pretty pictures becomes almost comtemptuous. yes, there are beautiful, breathtaking places and things all around us... the 80's song "Is that all there is?" comes to mind. if these scenes just pass through my camera's eye or my painter's brush and I haven't added any of myself, they are no different than what a thousand other cameras would produce.