Meeting New People: Gaining New Perspectives

Each experience at The Art Experience is different from the last.  Last time I was there, I worked on stuffing envelopes for the silent auction  on December 4th.  Although a somewhat tedious job, I knew it had to be done in order to send out the invitations and inform the community. I will be volunteering on that day, hopefully running one of the auctions or booths. 
On Wednesday, I sat down next to James; a local poet, musician, and song writer. We broke the ice by talking about our love for coffee and how it keeps us going during the day. I was surprised that he was so open to talk about his life and how much he was willing to share with me.  We talked about his past as a musician and how he always wished he could become famous.He also mentioned his drug addiction problem when he was younger which caused him to have a nervous breakdown.  "Writing and playing music saved my life," he said, "and I've been doing it ever since." He talked about spirituality and how it means so much to him and is the main subject of his writing.  He even played some songs for me on the guitar.  While playing, I could see the anguish on his face and feel the pain in his heart.  His voice was beautiful, yet rough and raspy all at once, a very soulful song that moved me because I could feel his passion for music and his belief in God. It was an emotional moment for me because I realized yet again how art; even if it's an expression of  words put into a song, can impact people's lives and help them in so many ways.