Desperate to escape the Texas heat, my family took a brief driving trip to Colorado a few weeks ago. On the way, we stopped just outside Amarillo at Cadillac Ranch. (That's me with my daughter.) In 1974 a group of artists know as "Ant Farm" sought out a local land owner and asked if they could construct this display on his land. He ok'd it and the rest is history. They bought 10 Cadillacs ranging from 1949 to 1963 and buried them nose-down in a perfect, symmetrical row. There is no admission fee, you just pull up alongside the field and walk over to see it. From the highway it looks pretty small and insignificant, but as you approach you realize these are real cars and they are taller than you! Anyone is free to spray paint all over them if they desire. (In August of this year all of the cars were painted pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.)My husband, an artist and avid car buff, was dying to find this "exhibit." We asked some locals where to find it, but it was a man from California who gave us explicit directions. For my husband, this was the jackpot! I thought it was because of the cars, but he said no, that this was one of the most incredible pieces of modern art he had ever seen. He explained to me that the scale and placement took an exceptional eye, and that it expressed something different to everyone who viewed it. It constantly changes yet remains the same and you notice something different from every angle of view. Wow, did I appreciate it so much more after sharing this perspective!
As far as I know, the original intent was purely for fun and not for profit. I'm sure the landowner has profited since because the display has been used in countless advertisements over the years, but that doesn't change the fact that it was originally done purely for self-expression.
Think about this the next time you're frustrated because your career doesn't allow expression of your true passion or you feel like just another cog in the wheel. I believe there are a fortunate few who are driven by one consuming passion and turn it into their life's work (Bill Gates, Oprah) and become gazillionaires. Good for them! I also believe that many of us just like to do a lot of different things. We find work that we like pretty well (or at least don't hate) that earns us a decent living and find a variety of other ways to express ourselves outside of our career. Just think, if all artists stopped painting because they couldn't make a living at it, we wouldn't have many of the great works hanging in museums today!
What particular creation of self-expression would just send you over the top? Is there a Cadillac Ranch spinning around in your head, dying to get out? I encourage you to go for it! Do something just for fun to express yourself with no expectation of getting paid and see what happens. You never know -- thousands of people may be ready and waiting to see it, read it, smell it, touch it, wear it, or hear it. Even if they don't, it will be well worth it if it brings you joy to do it!
