Starting the Show

We all engage in a measure of escapism. We run from reality - shun it, ignore it, turn our backs to it when it appears unpleasant. It is a normal function of who we are to filter our personal experiences to reach a desired, even necessary state of calm or comfort. Much of life is too intense to deal with without some measure of daydreaming, fantasy, or entertainment. This much is obvious. But the escapist takes the process to the logical extreme, shutting out all unbearable facts in favor of the fantastic.

Escapism is a withdrawl - a personal internal process designed to shield the individual from outside forces. And it is almost always a liability in the end. So how can Escapism be art?

Escape Artists are performers. They revel in the limelight of amazing accomplishments before an awed crowd. Onlookers gasp as the straightjacketed and handcuffed Houdini wriggles free of his chains while suspended 60 feet above the pavement. The audience roars as a stage magician emerges from a locked steamer trunk submerged in a tank of water. Escape Artists celebrate the dropping of chains, the victory of will and tenacity over bondage and fear. They champion hope.

They are also intimately familiar with the means of their confinement. Escape Artists do not truly break free of their chains... they love their chains. They study and collect them. Examine every link, every lock, looking for weaknesses and flaws. They explore every brick of the prison, find the back door, and leave a skeleton key hidden by the exit. They voluntarily remain bonded to their art rather than break free of it. The escape is an external illusion.

So an Escapism Artist is not one who engages in wholehearted escapism - skipping off to realms of adventure alone. Rather, he examines every facet of his reality, every loophole, every logical fallacy, every dark place where things don't add up. And in doing so, he begins to understand what people are looking for in their daydreams, fantasies, and entertainment. Armed with such knowledge (and the cheats they provide), the Escapism Artist can perform feats of ficton, art, and storytelling beyond the wildest dreams of the audience.

Writers are Escapism Artists. Filmakers are Escapism Artists. Painters, photographers, comic artists, politicians, storytellers, comedians all present a vision of reality that others may indulge in while they themselves merely present the trick, then return backstage to replace the firecrackers, refill the smoke machine, dim the lights, and prepare for another performance.