Seeing Beauty Is Embarrassing might change you. It could even save you.
I never knew it but I was a fan of Wayne White. I never knew of the artist but his visual style as the Production Designer on Pee Wee’s Playhouse was one I latched onto. I loved how the show looked and, while watching the Neil Berkley documentary about Wayne White, I was shocked to see how much I’ve enjoyed Mr. White’s work.
He continued on a visual director for CBS series Riders In The Sky, Beakman’s World and The Weird Al Show, all staples of my Saturday morning viewing. In addition, he was the visual mind behind the “Tonight, Tonight” video for The Smashing Pumpkins. Learning all this while watching Beauty Is Embarrassing was akin to having the blinders removed from my face, revealing a world that has always existed but I had no idea of it ever being there.
There are a few times in my life when I had the uncertainty stripped away and the clarity of purpose was revealed to me. And this documentary is going to be one of those instances when I can attribute to a positive reinforcement that what creative work I do to make myself happy is what I have to do, that it’s important (not in the divine sense, but in the sense that without this art, there is nothing besides that.) If you’ve happiest at chemistry, that is your art. If you are happiest at baseball, that is your art.
Wayne White might change you for the better. The end of the trailer “Do what you love, it will lead you to where you want to go” is the benediction for us all.
You can buy the DVD or watch it streaming on Amazon, iTunes or possibly Netflix. I am uncertain of the last.
