The Color of an Ordinary Day

I've never been an art person. I've never been the cool girl that you'd find at the museum on the weekend. I couldn't tell you the difference between impressionism and expressionism, for a matter of fact I had to google those.

I am, however, the person that could tell you when I feel something. I could tell you 5 different meanings to most lyrics. If you tell me your mood, I could make you cry with two songs tops. And I could tell you that when I heard this song for the first time, I never looked at art the same.

I've always been a musical theatre girl. I love all kinds of music, but in college I went to see one of my friends in a song-cycle and I was never the same.

A song cycle is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.

I started searching and listening to different song cycles and I found one called "Ordinary Days" by Adam Gwon.

Ordinary Days is a sung-through musical with music and lyrics by American composer Adam Gwon. Set in New York City, the musical follows four characters, Claire, Jason, Warren, and Deb, exploring how their ordinary lives connect in the most amazing ways.

I listened through the whole thing about 3 times and I find a new favorite every time I listen. However, the last song that is sung is called "Beautiful" and this song changed many ways that I looked at art and life. The lyrics, listed below, sum up a conversation between two people about the piece of art that you see above - an apple. Deb, a comically grumpy graduate student in search of a sense of calm, and Warren, a 20-something who hands out fliers on the street and has no idea what to do with his life.

The conversation goes as such:

WARREN

Hey. This one.

DEB

Really?

WARREN

Yes, this one.

DEB

This is your pick?

Out of all of the paintings we’ve seen, this is it?

WARREN

Yes.

DEB

Out of hundreds of paintings,

Your favorite painting is this piece of –

WARREN

Hey, what’s wrong with it?

DEB

Well, it’s a little bit boring

WARREN

Then you must be ignoring the most important bit.

DEB

I don’t see it.

Warren, we’ve been walking around,

Passing statues of angels and portraits of kings

WARREN

So?

DEB

So, you could choose any one

And we’re standing in front of this painting of everyday things

WARREN

It’s beautiful, right?

DEB

No, it isn’t, it’s plain.

WARREN

Well, part of our trip to the Met is I get to explain.

DEB

Here we go.

WARREN

So, this is a painting of what?

DEB

It’s a painting of apples.

WARREN

That’s right, that’s right.

So the artist has us looking at what?

DEB

Boring everyday things.

WARREN

Well, yes.

DEB

And the point?

WARREN

The point is that things aren’t beautiful all on their own

Beautiful comes from reflection

Beautiful takes a person who makes a connection

You know what I mean?

For beautiful to happen,

The beautiful has got to be seen

DEB

Okay. I like that shade of red right there

The spot where the apple is peeling

It’s deep as an ocean but lighter than air

WARREN

It’s simple, familiar, and full of feeling

DEB

The color of Saturdays here at the Met

WARREN

The color of shouting from rooftops

DEB

You bet!

WARREN

The color of feeling that life is okay.

DEB

The color of an ordinary day.

The song cycle's entire purpose and meaning centers around seeing the simplicity in life, just as Warren sees the beauty in a painting of apples. Think of 3 things that make you incredibly happy right now in your current life. I'll go first:

1. Live Music

2. Sunday Mornings

3. My Boyfriend's Laugh

The color of the lights at a concert that match each beat. The color of the sun through my windows on a Sunday morning while I make my coffee. The color of his smile when he laughs without any limitations. These are my favorite colors. The color of an ordinary day.