Art and Religion

As I was listening to the radio this week, I was made aware of this story about Charlie Chaplin and Sergei Rachmaninoff and their discussion about art and religion.

I remember [Vladimir] Horowitz, the pianist... Just before the war [World War II] I dined at his house with his wife, the daughter of Toscanini. Rachmaninoff and Barbirolli were there... It was an intimate dinner, just five of us.
It seems that each time art is discussed I have a different explanation of it. Why not? That evening I said that art was an additional emotion applied to skillful technique. Someone brought the topic round to religion and I confessed I was not a believer. Rachmaninoff quickly interposed: "But how can you have art without religion?"
I was stumped for a moment. "I don't think we are talking about the same thing," I said. "My concept of religion is a belief in a dogma--that art is a feeling more than a belief."
"So is religion," he answered. After that I shut up.
     ~  Charlie Chaplin, My Autobiography, (pages 395-397)

  It got me thinking about the creative process. In this week of celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States (22 November this year) we speak a lot of gratitude, of feelings of thanksgiving. With such "a feeling more than a belief" how are you creating art with your life?

Blessed Be

Joel