Our lives as art

[rejennyrated]

Heres a (possibly crazy) thought. - I have them from time to time... 

Having reached the halfway point of my life (I fully intend to make 100) I've been contemplating the meaning of it all, and in particular the reason why most of us devote so much of our energy to living in a way which differs from that to which we would be compelled if medical science could not come to our aid.

And then it hit me. Perhaps, in a way, what we create as we remodel ourselves is a work of art in it's purest living form.

I'm certainly not suggesting that this is the main reason that we undergo surgery, but I do like the idea of my life as a successful postop woman being in part a work of life art.

[K8]

In a general sense - not just trans people - I think that if we live long enough we can learn to live life well.  I don't mean money or goods or material things, but comfort in the world and with ourselves, a part of the community in a small and broad sense, at peace.  And if we can learn to do that, we create a work of art.

I've long thought that "a life well-lived" would be the best epitaph.  I just didn't know how I would ever come close until I became Kate.

- Kate

[FairyGirl]

In a general sense - not just trans people - I think that if we live long enough we can learn to live life well.  I don't mean money or goods or material things, but comfort in the world and with ourselves, a part of the community in a small and broad sense, at peace.  And if we can learn to do that, we create a work of art.

I've long thought that "a life well-lived" would be the best epitaph.  I just didn't know how I would ever come close until I became Kate.

- Kate

awwww **big hugs**

[Carlita]

And then it hit me. Perhaps, in a way, what we create as we remodel ourselves is a work of art in it's purest living form.

I'm certainly not suggesting that this is the main reason that we undergo surgery, but I do like the idea of my life as a successful postop woman being in part a work of life art.

I know EXACTLY what you mean!!  And I'm so glad you said it because I've been having similar thoughts, though I'm right at the very beginning of the process. I definitely think there's a creative, performance-art aspect to the whole thing ... to take oneself and totally rebuild all the external features, creating an entirely new appearance, new voice, new manner of carrying oneself and being treated in the world ... that's unquestionably a form of art, I think ... Or maybe I just see it like that because, like you, I write and I'm already used to the idea of creating a persona on the page, so this feels like the ultimate extension of that.

Perhaps we should enter ourselves for the Turner Prize hahahaha!! 

(Sorry ... that only makes sense to other Brits on here ...)