What is art?

One week ago, the banjar had, as Guru Francis referred to it, a breakthrough. In the class we managed to get much of the unspoken tension out of the room through a discussion of what was going on in our minds behind the art. Thinking about this later, it struck me just how much our minds affect art, particularly performance art. Our minds are what moves our body, and our body is how we create art through performance. Thus, if something troubles our minds, our body, and by association our art, is undeniably affected. I was wondering why in this class, unlike others, I couldn't just power through, shove everything else out of my head, and just do my work. But this class is different, because state of mind is so important to the quality of the art that comes out. Whatever is going on in our mind, our rasa, will reflect itself through the chants and movements. Thus it is important in art to have the right frame of mind before real, honest art can be created.
This week I told the Banjar a little about my life and what was going on in my head last week, and it felt good to share a little. It has felt more natural and relaxed in class the past two sessions after Monday's class. I look forward to more development after the break, as I become more in tune with how my body and my mind develop in conjunction to create some movement.