When love comes knocking you’d better be ready. It usually arrives when you least expect it, when you’re not even looking, maybe when you’re soaked to the skin while running past a shop on the way to get some fancy local cheese. You’ll come to a sudden halt, stare at it in the window, and know, suddenly and clearly, that this is meant to be.
I’ve always believed that art can change our lives. It can reach those dark parts of our hearts that have long since closed. But cynicism, anxiety and a general helplessness about the world these days was starting to take over. I scoffed at small joys, I was suspicious about good news, and I even wondered if artists had had their day. And then a surprising moment with friends brought it all home – we need art now more than ever.
The weekend at the north coast was filled with good chats by the fire and long walks on the beach as we did the usual dance with the Northern Irish weather – coats on and off and then on again. It was all very lovely. And then after lunch one day we took off in the pouring rain to visit a local cheese shop (it’s what you do on holiday). All four of us were running through puddles when I suddenly noticed that we were now three, Adam was no longer there. We looked through our hoods to see him standing stock still in front of a shop window. What was going on? The answer is simple and one of the oldest answers in the world – he had fallen in love.
We soon saw that the wonky, cute (and downright odd) sculptures in the gallery window had thrown Cupid’s arrow, hitting their target right in the heart. Adam was a goner. We followed him inside, thinking that once the price was revealed he might change his mind, but nothing was going to stop him now. He happily parted with his hard-earned cash and took hold of the big cardboard box with an even bigger smile on his face. It was quite a moment.
Adam still has no idea why these little creatures connected so powerfully with him, he just loved them that rainy day, and loves them still. Every time he sees them on the windowsill he smiles. And it is enough. This is what art can do, and in a dark world it’s often the only light.