Following ones "Whim" and creating can be a daunting task because the necessities life want to intrude. The requirements of a creative citadel as a stronghold is often more than a proverbial need. Lock the doors, bar the windows, heat up the pitch and sharpen the pencils! Protecting artistic time can take the strategic acumen of a general prepared for a siege. Good bastions are always needed to deflect the resounding cannon fire of reality. An artist has to train like a skilled archer to hit the target repeatedly irregardless of the variables. The maintenance of ones tools is a kin to readying a garrison, that all is part of the war of art. One can never stockpile enough counter measures to volley against dilettantes & disabling detractors.
Creative time is as much a military action as a spiritual one, hours melt away spent lost in contemplation & meditation. That is a reason why one needs to protect ones marbles, then get them in order. The real manna is the enjoyment of the process not just desired results. It's too easy to over berate oneself about what hasn't been accomplished thus far, no need for that, plenty of sidewinders are up to that task alone. Remember it's important to have ones thoughts and action in complete congruity. Art is as much about expressive freedom as good mental discipline, then there is the countless years hard work...better learn to enjoy that notion.
Originality is a double edged sword, there is no need to reinvent or discard the wheel. Knowledge of its proverbial workings are as essential as understanding any tool. The ancient Delphic aphorism "know thy self" stands the test of time, perhaps we need to become the wheel? The wheel doesn't wait for the road to rise and meet it, instead it bares down with full gravity. Essentially how we use the wheel is up to the each of us as individuals. Interpretation always exists, but we can expect to become stuck in the mud. The solution then is to turn the wheel on the side, spin some pottery...and just keep on spinning!
See you on the right side of your brain,
Gothic Hangman
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
SELF CREATION
Since primordial beginnings humans began to create images from pigment dust, rocks and clay. We shaped our world in an attempt to understand ourselves and define our societies. Image making held great power be it cave paintings, monoliths, temples and even skyscrapers. In a world filled with ubiquitous images many have become visually illiterate. For some the potency of images are lost in the digital age, we view our world through cell phone and computer screens. Many people may see an image but how long do they contemplate the message it intends to impart?
From art institutions to galleries I've seen artists emulate others that seemed to have the formula of success. This has always gone against everything I deeply believe, for if you copy someone else you're a watered down version of yourself. Naturally we all have influences but direct imitation should never be considered a form of flattery. Where is the stand alone spirit to create something original?
We all have a personal filter that allows for something unique in the offering. To stand unwavering as an artist can be daunting and nothing less than a Herculean task. The barbs of reality are sharp and people love to point them out disparagingly. Artists need to be incredibly resolute to the reality which is the artful spirit. The task stripping away preconditioning to ultimately enable free association isn't a journey often encouraged.
People love nothing more than saying you're wasting your time. Since time is relative who is the arbiter of what it takes to reach a place of creative value? Why should artists have to contend with anything that devalues the commodity of self exploration? Certainly I believe some instruction is needed as a foundation, but it take many years beyond that to achieve something free form.
We have arrived in a place where if it looks just like a photograph that's amazing. Who would assign art the sterility of such a staid memetic function? The colossal art of the ancient world showed us a greater reality. Who would believe that a culture that could create pyramids couldn't master realism? That memetic quality just wasn't a requirement of their culture with good reason.
Our obsessions are with the surfaces of things and often not the deeper meaning. It's almost as if we are not allowed the luxury of time to explore the inner workings. Often the mistake is to believe that over thinking is the same as deep thinking. Meditative and creative mindsets should be ones seeking pathways of simplicity. We have developed the ability to create better tools over the Millenniums, though to master our minds can still be the hardest of all creative challenges.
See you on the right side of your brain,
Gothic Hangman
From art institutions to galleries I've seen artists emulate others that seemed to have the formula of success. This has always gone against everything I deeply believe, for if you copy someone else you're a watered down version of yourself. Naturally we all have influences but direct imitation should never be considered a form of flattery. Where is the stand alone spirit to create something original?
We all have a personal filter that allows for something unique in the offering. To stand unwavering as an artist can be daunting and nothing less than a Herculean task. The barbs of reality are sharp and people love to point them out disparagingly. Artists need to be incredibly resolute to the reality which is the artful spirit. The task stripping away preconditioning to ultimately enable free association isn't a journey often encouraged.
People love nothing more than saying you're wasting your time. Since time is relative who is the arbiter of what it takes to reach a place of creative value? Why should artists have to contend with anything that devalues the commodity of self exploration? Certainly I believe some instruction is needed as a foundation, but it take many years beyond that to achieve something free form.
We have arrived in a place where if it looks just like a photograph that's amazing. Who would assign art the sterility of such a staid memetic function? The colossal art of the ancient world showed us a greater reality. Who would believe that a culture that could create pyramids couldn't master realism? That memetic quality just wasn't a requirement of their culture with good reason.
Our obsessions are with the surfaces of things and often not the deeper meaning. It's almost as if we are not allowed the luxury of time to explore the inner workings. Often the mistake is to believe that over thinking is the same as deep thinking. Meditative and creative mindsets should be ones seeking pathways of simplicity. We have developed the ability to create better tools over the Millenniums, though to master our minds can still be the hardest of all creative challenges.
See you on the right side of your brain,
Gothic Hangman
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