Sadness, Sorrow, and Loss

It’s funny, how humans can become attached to people we’ve never met.

Artists.

We connect with them because they wrote a song, or a book, or painted a picture, or acted in a movie…

Sometimes we believe we know them, like we’d be friends if we met.

Because that’s what great art does, it creates connections.

Thus, when an artist disappears, the loss can be palpable.

Ayub Ogada was by no means a household name.

Hell, in reality, he was pretty much unknown in America.

(I’ve no idea how famous he was in Africa.)

That doesn’t mean he wasn’t great.

Art shouldn’t be measured by popularity, even though it sometimes is.

Sure, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber are more popular than Miles Davis, or Todd Snider, but they’re not even in the same realm when it comes to talent.

Todd Snider packed more emotion into one song, Sunshine, than Miley or Justin will ever hope to in their entire careers.

Unfortunately, talent doesn’t make you successful.

But, you connect with who you can, and hope you find your audience.

I found Ayub, and that meant something in my life.