Poem by Martha Graham to inspire your creativity

[liam1310]

hi french lovely poem thanks for sharing
as others have said getting out of our comfort zone in order to make things happen is a step in the right direction

 

[Tracy Anne]

That would be brilliant (a step for you, and also for us to see your creations) if you could post some of your artwork.

Another step for me to overcome is the idea of what I think art is or should be, constantly judging 'i could do that' 'to me art is...' but in reality that's blocking the flow of other people's and my own creativity, thinking that art has to fit rules and regulations, it's so restrictive.

Also I think it links to narcissism, 'I could do that if i wanted to' but instead of taking the bull by the horns so to speak, just put it off so that you never 'fail', it's comfier to have an idea you can do something but instead of doing it, just thinking you could do it if you tried- less painful... so self importance too I guess.

Yes sometimes it's funny and fantastic to see the universe in action as you get so set on something and then something else comes up and it just reminds you you're not in control of this! That you are even blocking this by being so set-anticipation.....

Thanks again, would love to see your artwork.

Hi Thorn I will post some paintings soon!

I have searched for the meaning of art for a long time and came across a book by Alex Liberman (1912-1999). He explains nicely what art is.

"Communication is the purpose of art. Go beyond the limitations of ones surroundings, to do the impossible work. He said that art is an act of devotion.....you have to pray before you start a work of art, but in the modern sense, for instance, meditation or it may just be a withdrawl, which is helped by music. You must put on your finest robes and 'pray'. Art is a superior human activity and it should not be defiled by money, lies or by anything menial. Art is energy, and any art is communication of energy. The communication of energy is the greatest risk of an artist.

It is the thinking about it thats important. The actual execution is quite rapid after you know what you want to do. Serious art is against convention. I think that convention is a rule to discipline people to live together attractively and art has nothing to do with that. Art is a breaking of conventions....of barriers because its a search to stimulate deeper yearnings that would upset society. Serious artists or thinker have been persecuted for this reason".

I think that the withdrawl is important, I usually paint at my best when I am alone and it is a channel to express my feelings.

Hey would like to see your art work too?? OK I'll post mine first! Thank you for your encouragement.....as Alex Liberman says "The communication of energy is the greatest risk of an artist"

 

[Tracy Anne]

Ok here are three of my paintings I completed this year. The islands are in The Coromandel of New Zealand and I had returned from a trip there just after I painted them. I was feeling very down on my return to the UK because of issues with my Narcissitic Mother (who lives in NZ). It really was a bleak time but important as I moved through some issues surrounding my upbringing. I use art to express my feelings as being an adult raised in a Narcissitic family system, I find it hard to identify my feelings so painting them is better.

The other painting is of the Highlands in Scotland, an area which is similar to the South Island of New Zealand.

I paint in acrylic using a retarder which stops the paint drying so fast so blending is easier.

 

[Tracy Anne]

oops....here are the others.

 

[Tracy Anne]

I couldnt seem to get the 3 paintings on one posting.

 

[Jenn]

Hello I have had a niggling feeling that I needed to do something and had a deep yellow colour in my mind, then I realised I hadn't replied to your post (yellow-marigold) :D

Yess contrary to popular culture which promotes superficial beauty, I really like the description he gives of true art, that has depth and meaning, that can make you question yourself an your surroundings, did you see the sott article about true art being lost?

I really like the Scottish Highlands one, I think the green is lovely, do you find it therapeutic or difficult to look back at the art you painted while in a particular mood? I have struggled to put emotion into paintings before, having only just got back into art since my A Levels which were centred around fitting the constructs that discipline people to live together attractively I felt as if I lacked depth and direction, how did you go about expressing through painting, does it mean just painting and going with the flow, or setting out to express the emotions?

At the moment I'm painting a small canvas of Gurdjeff so will post that picture up when I'm done :)

 

[Tracy Anne]

Thanks for your feedback Thorn. Funny you had the deep yellow colour coming to your mind!

You can get depth and direction in your paintings by studying and applying techniques such as recession and light but Im not much good at this, Im self taught. However Im disciplining myself to look at my paintings after I finish them and to try and apply some of this....its kinda the next step. Initially I just lay my paint brushes, paint and canvas out in front of me on the table....I usually have something in mind....colours that I want to use (mostly) then I adapt the painting to this. I enjoy painting landscapes in a surreal way.

Most of my art is done as a way of expressing emotions though Im learning to discipline myself to doing it when Im not emotional. I find my best work is when I interpret land and seascapes through feeling and emotion....I put my soul into it with every brush stroke. It seems this way anyhow.

My art is part of my therapy too and I like to look back on my journey and remember were I was when I painted it. I would love to facilitate others to do the same.

I read the article on art being lost but to be truthful I didnt get the gist of it and must re read it. Think I was to pressed for time to read it with any concentration!

Cant wait to see your painting of Gurdjeff! :D

 

[Cosmos]

I read the article on art being lost but to be truthful I didnt get the gist of it and must re read it. Think I was to pressed for time to read it with any concentration!

Cant wait to see your painting of Gurdjeff! :D

Yes this article from Pierre is a really important read in regards to art and what is most often presented as "art" today.

Here is the link, in case you want to read it again: http://www.sott.net/article/279037-Eradicating-beauty-The-destruction-of-art

Speaking about Gurdjieff, here is what he had to say about art:

Objective and Subjective Art

"There is art and art. You have doubtless noticed that during our lectures and talks I have often been asked various questions by those present relating to art but I have always avoided talks on this subject. This was because I consider all ordinary talks about art as absolutely meaningless. People speak of one thing while they imply something quite different and they have no idea whatever what they are implying. At the same time it is quite useless to try to explain the real relationship of things to a man who does not know the A B C about himself, that is to say, about man. We have talked together now for some time and by now you ought to know this A B C, so that I can perhaps talk to you now even about art.

"You must first of all remember that there are two kinds of art, one quite different from the other - objective art and subjective art. All that you know, all that you call art, is subjective art, that is, something that I do not call art at all because it is only objective art that I call art.

"To define what I call objective art is difficult first of all because you ascribe to subjective art the characteristics of objective art, and secondly because when you happen upon objective works of art you take them as being on the same level as subjective works of art.

"I will try to make my idea clear. You say - an artist creates. I say this only in connection with objective art. In relation to subjective art I say that with him ′it is created.′ You do not differentiate between these, but this is where the whole difference lies. Further you ascribe to subjective art an invariable action, that is, you expect works of subjective art to have the same reaction on everybody. You think, for instance, that a funeral march should provoke in everyone sad and solemn thoughts and that any dance music, a komarinsky for instance, will provoke happy thoughts. But in actual fact this is not so at all. Everything depends upon association. If on a day that a great misfortune happens to me I hear some lively tune for the first time this tune will evoke in me sad and oppressive thoughts for my whole life afterwards. And if on a day when I am particularly happy I hear a sad tune, this tune will always evoke happy thoughts. And so with everything else.

"The difference between objective art and subjective art is that in objective art the artist really does ′create,′ that is, he makes what he intended, he puts into his work whatever ideas and feelings he wants to put into it. And the action of this work upon men is absolutely definite; they will, of course each according to his own level, receive the same ideas and the same feelings that the artist wanted to transmit to them. There can be nothing accidental either in the creation or in the impressions of objective art.

"In subjective art everything is accidental. The artist, as I have already said, does not create; with him ′it creates itself.′ This means that he is in the power of ideas, thoughts, and moods which he himself does not understand and over which he has no control whatever. They rule him and they express themselves in one form or another. And when they have accidentally taken this or that form, this form just as accidentally produces on man this or that action according to his mood, tastes, habits, the nature of the hypnosis under which he lives, and so on. There is nothing invariable; nothing is definite here. In objective art there is nothing indefinite."

(Gurdjieff in P.D. Ouspensky′s In Search of the Miraculous)

 

[Muxel]

Nice definition from Alex Liberman! Ernest Becker in Escape from Evil says something like, social conventions evolved to allow humans to step around each other's egos (by generating win-win micro-situations, so to say). The artist, in his act of creating, would thusly be a radical of sorts. Alternatively, and in my opinion, the artist is someone who creates because he perceived a lack of that very thing in his world. Which interestingly meshes with what Gurdjieff's grandmother said to him on her deathbed: "Eldest of my grandsons! Listen and always remember my strict injunction to you: In life never do as others do ... Either do nothing - just go to school - or do something nobody else does." (Whereupon she died.)

You guys might also like The Artist As Healer of the World by Paul Levy.

 

[Muxel]

Good paintings FM, I like the ones of the islands in the Coromandel. (Part of my reason for liking them is admittedly subjective - they give me a Ursula Le Guin vibe. ;))

 

[Tracy Anne]

"In subjective art everything is accidental. The artist, as I have already said, does not create; with him ′it creates itself.′ This means that he is in the power of ideas, thoughts, and moods which he himself does not understand and over which he has no control whatever. They rule him and they express themselves in one form or another. And when they have accidentally taken this or that form, this form just as accidentally produces on man this or that action according to his mood, tastes, habits, the nature of the hypnosis under which he lives, and so on. There is nothing invariable; nothing is definite here. In objective art there is nothing indefinite."

(Gurdjieff in P.D. Ouspensky′s In Search of the Miraculous)[/quote]
[/quote]

Thanks Pashalis for the link to the article....will print in out and study in detail!

The info from Gurdjeff is very interesting, the paragraph above really sums it up for me and that is how I paint, I think.....though Im open to changing views on this.

Kind regards FM

 

[Tracy Anne]

Good paintings FM, I like the ones of the islands in the Coromandel. (Part of my reason for liking them is admittedly subjective - they give me a Ursula Le Guin vibe. ;))

Thanks Muxel for the feedback on my painting.....its been a big step to post it on the Fourm. I looked up Ursula Le Guin as I had never heard of her and what an interesting woman. I will try to find some of her books to read even if they are childrens books, they too can be very inspiring.

Will also look up Paul Levy's work, it looks very interesting. Have always liked the idea of art and healing and would like to help others in the field to use their creativity as a way of healing. It is great when you cant express yourself verbally to put something on paper or create with your hands to express how you feel.


I like very much what Gurdjeffs Grandmother said to him on her deathbed. I think she was a very wise woman.....do nothing or do something that no body else does. I try to do this in my paintings even the way that I paint and go about it. I have never had formal training and dont wish to as I feel it stifles my creativity.