What Would Life Be Like If We Had No Courage To Attempt Anything?

Yesterday, I was immersed in light and sound, beauty and transcendence. A much-anticipated trip with friends to see the heralded Van Gogh Immersive Experience. It was held at the famous Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA (outside of Philadelphia) which has been a concert venue since the 1970s. It’s where Todd Rundgren made his musical mark. On this day, the space was transformed into an art gallery, but nothing like anything I had ever seen. Multi-dimensional imagery that morphed were displayed on every wall as we were invited to enter the world of the immensely talented and deeply troubled Dutch Post Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Even if you are not an art aficionado, chances are you have taken in the celestial magnificence of Starry Night or the whimsical Sunflowers. They were each a reflection of his state of mind at the time he took brush to canvas. The former was painted while he was a patient in the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and the latter when he lived in Arles in the south of France. He suffered from symptoms of psychosis and experienced poor physical health throughout his life.

The exhibit told the story of a man tortured by self-doubt, despite his abilities. Only one of his paintings sold in his lifetime. Entitled The Red Vineyard in Brussels, it sold for 400 francs. This occurred only months before his death at age 37 by the same hand that created such sublimeness. Prior to the shot fired that ended his life, he mutilated himself by cutting off a piece of his ear after an argument with his friend Paul Gauguin who he saw as a mentor and critic. Tumultuous relationships dabbled his life like so much pigment on a palette. It was only after his death that his fame touched the heavens. A fascinating bit of information was that Van Gogh was colorblind.

My friends, Janet, Clare, Gary and I stood in line for a few minutes waiting for our scheduled time to enter the building, since timed tickets are required. The venue was COVID conscientious as all who entered the building needed to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test. A table was set up to offer rapid tests. If you do go, be prepared. Masks were also a requirement. It felt, not like an inconvenience or a restriction on my freedom, but a risk-minimizing necessity. No one objected.

These were the words that greeted us when we entered: “What would life be like if we had no courage to attempt anything?” It was a wow moment as I realized with startling clarity what we are capable of if we allowed courage to triumph over hesitation and we face fierce fear of failure. Van Gogh likely was confronted by that terror on a daily basis. As we walked through the exhibition, I was taken into the mind of a mad genius. From my safe vantage point, I knew I could step out if the emotions became too intense.

By far, my favorite part of the tour was sitting in the large room where imagery was projected on the walls and floor and surround sound filled the space. His work was offered like sweet nectar for us to drink in. There were benches, pillows, mats, and beach chairs with some of his imagery on it for guests to lounge upon. I had the thought, “Who needs drugs, when you can experience this kind of transcendence?” I stayed for two rounds of the show but could have spent the entire day in meditation there.

This family friendly event had one more room that beckoned us in to play and use our own artistic abilities. There were printouts of a few of his pieces and tables filled with crayons and hand sanitizer for us to use. After completing our masterpieces, we were invited to put them up on the walls for others to enjoy. I noticed that most of the pieces were psychedelic in nature, where all of the available colors were used. It was a lighthearted way to end the tour.

Visitors were permitted to photograph the experience with this caveat. “Feel free to take photos and share them. When taking photos, please make sure not to disturb other customers. Professional equipment and tripods are not permitted.”

This was the first indoor entertainment event I have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic and it carried with it a sense of the normalcy that I had missed. I was delighted with a Van Gogh quote that sent me back out into the world.

“There is nothing more truly artistic than loving people.”

Be a work of he(art).

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This post is republished on Medium.

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