The moment where Florence sits on this young cancer patient's bed and holds her hand as she sings right to her perfectly captures the indescribable power of one human being to connect with another human being, and from within the trenches of illness, to spark joy from something as simple and endlessly complex as a song. I adore when they start to sing together.
What greater gift can an artist (and human) give? Lull us gently away from our earthbound pain with sweet songs, be unafraid to step into the middle of the mess and take our hand in theirs, and even just for a few minutes, allow us to be free of our bodies and our selves.
For those who deny the power of art, especially artists themselves--we spend so much time doubting the magic of what we make-- please realize that making art is not about being famous or wealthy or even known. It is about connecting to another human being and gifting them with something so immaterial but so desperately vital, something that outweighs anything that we have the ability to measure.
What would happen if we start to use a different measure for art?