Follow your heart, and your pleasure, and art.

Those words might make up the most inspiring life mantra I’ve ever heard.

Perhaps what makes them even more inspiring, is the way Wayne White embodies them; living a life of true passion and creativity. He expresses thoughts that are both witty and fearless. His art is both incendiary and maddening, since it is clear that his imagination works in ways that few others’ do. Wayne is a gifted artist in so many ways, and he is the subject of a wonderful documentary called BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING.

The film chronicles Wayne’s life. He is a man who was brought up in a traditional southern family, but branched out for more by moving to New York in his early 20’s. There he met Mimi; the love of his life and a gifted visual artist herself. It was also there that he landed the job of a lifetime – designing sets, puppets, and puppeteering for Pee-Wee’s Playhouse in the mid 80’s. From there he went on to work as art director on music videos for Peter Gabriel and Smashing Pumpkins.

For some, such achievements might be enough to rest on their laurels, but for Wayne it’s just act one. He goes on to reinvent himself somewhat by channeling his creative talents into clever paintings and installations. His work has landed him much attention and acclaim, giving Wayne an unexpected second act as an artist.

Wayne’s story is told wonderfully by Neil Berkley. In a visual style befitting White and his family of artists, the work both comes alive and acts as narrator time and again. Such is the case when Mimi animates the story of her first meeting with Wayne, and likewise in allowing Wayne to amuse us all by doing a silly little dance while wearing a great big head. The doc becomes less the story of White’s life and career, and more a living, breathing, embodiment of it. The very same way many of White’s recent paintings have used existing work as a springboard, so too does Berkley’s movie.

What it all does – Wayne’s story, personality, creative work, and Berkley’s curation of it all – is make us all think about expressing ourselves more fully. What’s so embarrassing about beauty is the honesty it requires…the way it forces us to stand in a spotlight with imperfect bodies and ill-fitting clothes and say to the world “I have something to tell you”.

However, it’s that sort of honesty, that sort of art, that sort of beauty that makes this world worth living, and gives those that follow a boost to be honest themselves.

What Wayne White has given the world in his art is trickier than it looks, and so too is Neil Berkley’s document of said work. It strives to do something difficult: to be optimistic. Specifically, it wants to tell people that they can do what it is they love to do, and do it unashamed.

Both the artist and the film are totems of heart, pleasure, and art…thus BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING is a film that shouldn’t be missed.

BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING plays Saturday – 6:00pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, again on Sunday April 29th – 1:30pm at Isabel Bader, and once more on Sunday May 6th – 6:30pm at The Bloor. (official website)