Often, we imagine artists as tortured souls, living alone in dark garrets wearing utterly ridiculous, foppish clothing and pouring their pain onto canvases or notebook pages or piano keys, trading sorrow for artistic genius. As an active member of a number of artistic communities, I can pretty confidently say that big sleeves or intense depression are not requirements for the creation of great art. In fact, some of the most beautiful works I’ve ever seen have come from perfectly emotionally healthy people or even groups of people.

Take, for example, the incredible glass sculpture of modern master Dale Chihuly. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening weekend of his new exhibit at the De Young museum in San Francisco, where I was immediately struck by the sheer number of beautiful pieces being shown. This was more impressive, however, because I supplemented my viewing by watching the accompanying documentary about the process of creating these masterpieces. Here’s what I find exciting about glassblowing a la Dale Chihuly- it’s a team affair. For each enormous bubble or floral creation, there is a team of men and women who take part, putting the piece in the “glory hole,” or lengthening the molten glass by whirling it around over their head, or even catching the completed piece and putting it safely in the cooler. Chihuly’s work would prove literally impossible without the help of each member of his highly-skilled team of artisans.

So if I may, the message here is two-fold:

1. Support the arts. Check out a glass exhibition, go to the symphony, attend a play- there are so many fantastic art resources across the country- who knows what you’ll find in your town. Art is always the product of its community in one way or another, and local artistic endeavors truly only survive because of the patronage of people like you. I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how satisfying it can be.

2. Be sure to find out when the museums in your community are free. This might sound strange, but most major museums are free about once a month (often as a result of the sponsorship of a company like Target, the business that sponsored the free Chihuly opening weekend). Why not go to that art museum you’ve always wondered about? It only takes a few minutes or a quick phone call to figure this out, and the reward is enormous.

What are you waiting for? Go forth and enjoy. Actually, first check out some work by Chihuly at www.chihuly.com. But then find the Chihuly in your town, and take some time to appreciate the beauty mere humans can create.