Morning Glory Monday: Recycled Art

There is an orchestra in Paraguay that plays instruments made of recycled trash from a landfill. When I saw it on 60 Minutes last night, I was amazed by the music of Landfill Harmonic. This inspiring orchestra will be featured in a movie soon. I hope that even after the musicians have a worldwide audience and are given new instruments in mint condition they will never forget the humble art offered by their recycled orchestra. To me, making music out of trash illustrates the resilience of the human spirit and finding beauty in imperfection.

This summer I had fun making "art" out of recycled materials when I participated in a contest at the local county fair. I used a water bottle as a vase and made flowers out of plastic garbage bags. I didn't win a blue ribbon, but the process of trying to re-purpose the items and create something new got me thinking about originality and art. As a writer, are there any new ideas? Or are we in the business of recycling?

Mark Twain wrote, "There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages."

I think he's right, and that takes the pressure off. It's not important to have a "new" idea. The thing to focus on is presenting it with your own unique voice, imperfections and all. If you're feeling like it has all been done before, remember Landfill Harmonic and create as only you can.