Yes, it’s true — In moments of distress, artists thrive. Shocked? Somehow I didn’t think you would be.

When going through the “tough” in life artists get up, dust off, savor the moment, and continue down their respective creative paths even more enthusiastically than the day before.

Analogy.
The clock is pushing 1am and you’re still an hour away from home after a nice, long, relaxing weekend. You’re getting tired but don’t want to pull the car over (which I agree is not the best approach but for the sake of this stay with me). The sleep begins to take you over; your eyes shut without warning and that scares the hell out of you. What happens next is not exactly pleasant, and you know it won’t be ahead of time, but you do it anyway — You smack yourself in the face a few times with a decent amount of force to get the blood flowing, and to ‘about-face’ your senses.

Once you pull into the driveway you’re grateful that the mobility of your hand was useful.

You did what you had to do.

Everyone has it in them to overcome a situation and fight the effects, but are you one who will do it? In the car scenario, would you pull over, or push on through? Artists push on through. It’s not always the best decision. We don’t always do it with grace. And it’s certainly not the easiest road. But it’s second nature.

We don’t take a time-out to heal.

We create to heal.

An artist overcoming pain can dish out some of the best paintings ever painted, the best photos ever taken, the best films ever filmed, the best songs ever written. Raw emotion combined with imagination produces pieces so far outside our conscious realm it’s overwhelming and powerful.

And it’s so important to capture that moment as it’s happening.

Tapping into such a deep place can’t be done manually — You have to clutch that moment it in your hand, and hang on until you feel cleansed and satisfied.

It’s tough, if not impossible, to recreate the way your body feels, the way your mind works, or the way your words sound when moving towards recovery after turmoil. And it’s in that recovery process that our creative spark plugs switch themselves out for a new set, and push us to new heights of creation.

Don’t take these times for granted as a creator.

These are the moments when pure emotion turns itself into art.

“Walking in Memphis” recounts a visit Marc took to Memphis in 1986. Much of what he mentions I’m sure you can recognize easily — Elvis, Graceland, W.C Handy, Beale Street. But what about that last part? You know the one I mean; the one at the end that’s bound to give you chills:

Now Muriel plays piano, Every Friday at the Hollywood, And they brought me down to see her, And they asked me if I would — Do a little number, And I sang with all my might, And she said — “Tell me are you a Christian child?”, And I said “Ma’am I am tonight”.

To many people’s surprise, a gospel singer named Muriel, Muriel Wilkins to be exact, did in fact play the piano every Friday night at The Hollywood Cafe, and was Marc’s inspiration for writing “Walking in Memphis”.

Marc had been invited by Dr. Frank Witherspoon, a long time friend of Muriel’s, to come visit him in Memphis and then go down to Robinsonville to meet a sweet lady that played piano and sang. Marc Cohn remembers having to sit close to Muriel as she played that night in 1986 because she was unaccompanied by any amplification. During a break they began talking and she asked him to tell her about himself. He explained his life story and that his mother had died at an early age and how he seemed to be in a rut with regards to his writing. During her next set, she asked him if he would join her on stage. Muriel sang “Amazing Grace” a capella and asked him if he would do the same. Then she asked him to sing some songs with her, whispering in his ear the lyrics that he did not know. Marc recalls that before leaving around two a.m., Muriel “whispered things to me about my mother. Then she told me it was time for me to move on.”

Delta Magazine said, “Webster’s defines graciousness as being marked by tact and delicacy, kindness and courtesy, charm, good taste and generosity of spirit. Muriel Wilkins was all of the above and more. She began playing the piano and singing in Sunday School when she was three years old. She continued to practice that never-ending love of hers for 64 more years.”

One of her favorite quotes — “You must be ALL that you can be”.

As for The Hollywood itself, it serves up a classic Southern menu, complete with Fried Green Tomatoes, Fried Catfish & Frog Legs. And if you ever go be sure to save room for dessert — Blackberry Cobbler! That would just about hit the spot right now.

Enjoy the song.