Untitled

Can we ever leave the now?
If we're to transcend time,
does it come attached to us-
can I call my now mine?

Or do we wear it like a smock
of holes to rest upon
-say trade a spot as pen pals do,
a word across the pond.

Untitled Crux

There lives a window deep inside
our pattern-seeking mind

Where strangers look- from outside in,
the wise - from either side

We hear its tinted silence as
the artist seeks its force

But through or from- this hidden place
our tool of tools- coerse

The River God

A long time ago human beings thought the river that cut through their land was God. They knew this because they could not control it. The River God gave them life- but also death. He become the source of inspiration- but also the limit of their inspiration.

Then one day a man found a way to use the River God, to put its efforts toward something unintended. Travel came first, and then its force was put to moving gears on axles. Finally one man found a way to overcome the river’s limitations completely, and built a bridge to travel over and beyond the River God.

That experience was more then just a first step for those people, it was a touchstone in understanding. When they looked upon that river again it was no longer a God but a tool; a force to be respected and understood- but not feared or worshipped. And as they now had the power to destroy that river they also had the power to save it, or help it flourish.

This once cosmic entity had now changed, though not literally- or through any power of its own. It was their perception and reaction that had altered. As the people expanded in numbers, diversity and depth, the image of the River-God remained faint and unyielding. There were moments when the overwhelming power the river once held resurfaced in the minds and hearts of later generations. When their surroundings felt uncontrollable, and they stood before grand new challenges, the people’s hesitation conjured up their old River God.

In times of great enlightenment we’d use to say ‘just about time for another river-crossing’ as our old God comes round into a complex pattern, and we admire our new tool of civilization.

(at your brightest moment- imagination flows)

Creative Block

Imagination From the Ancients

The source of my imagination has always fascinated me. I think it's because I've always associated the imagination with limitless freedom (or to raise the cheese-factor, a gateway to endless worlds and ideas). Of course like all writers I've experienced draughts of creativity, and at the time I was powerless to stop let alone understand it.

It helps me to understand the problem by finding a metaphor to explain this process, and as there is very little research into how humans are creative I think there's a lot of room to hypothesize.

One theory comes from my Mysticism and Literature class, called Visionary Lit. The theory behind mysticism suggests creativity, imagination, and inspiration all come from a source that is outside and separate from this material world. Mysticism suggests there is a spiritual element of creativity and the mind, be it conscious like God, or unconscious like a river of energy. Inspiration (according to the mystics) comes from stepping outside this world and connecting with another plane of existence (of course all this only happens in your mind or the spiritual realm).

If flashes of drug-induced Hippie drum circles are washing over your mind let me assure you this is not where I am going. Drugs can force a naked, all access tour of your mind, but often with less control, and negative side effects. Furthermore Mysticism suggests you can connect with the imagination on an everyday basis, in the moment, right now.

It's about opening your mind to the moment, and seeing what's in front of you with/through your imagination. "A fool sees not the same tree a wise man sees" says William Blake, suggesting the difference between a fool and wise man (or wise woman) is the key to seeing the present moment with/through the imagination or without.


What's fascinating is how long mysticism has existed, with the symbol of the axis mundi (representing the connection between human mind and imagination) going as far back as the Ancient Egyptians.


A Modern Materialist
Skeptic

As a writer I cannot say I've settle on one perspective of the world. I think it's important to allow some flexibility in imagining what is out there, and despite Richard Dawkins' efforts to eliminate spirituality from the equation I don't think anything should be defined in absolutes.

However, I do believe science can explain a lot about ourselves, and I like to think about humanity from an evolutionary perspective.

Whether its building lego, drawing, writing, or improv acting, there have been moments where I felt my imagination was limitless. Looking at the empty page, or spot on stage my stomach would churn with excitement, and my mind would be flooded with possibilities.

These extreme moments of creative freedom contrast starkly with moments of creative block, and have gotten me thinking about the context and catalyst for each.

This has lead to me to hypothesize that our imaginations are something like a metaphysical muscle in our brain, and like all muscles they need both food and exercise.

Now if food is everything we consume (experience wise), and exercise everything we use our minds for, its safe to say everyone is exercising (in some way) all the time (unless of course you're a vegetable, in which case you fall under the catagory creatively obese) The catch is to exercise in the right way, and eat the right foods.

You can't write good poetry unless you've read a lot of good poetry, Just as you can't write a great story or novel if you've only ever watched movies or television, you have to know the discipline you're working in. I heard a great quote that went "Ferocious consumption is not a hunger for content but for form."

Too many creative people mix their influences with their projects, where the concept for a novel comes from what the 30 second trailer looked like in their mind. That's a fine starting place, but more reading is the only way to expand from that seed, and ride further visions of inspiring scenes or plot twists.

When I was younger I had the misconception that my mind needed to be a pure and well filtered environment, as if letting the wrong ideas in would taint or discolour my original inspired vision. This I've learned is the wrong way to think about creativity, because it doesn't strengthening and redefine the colours you have, it limits the colours (tools, complexity) you have to work with.

My highschool Art teacher once told me "art doesn't come from a vacuum".

Another factor in creative block stems from the reason you're making this in the first place. Purpose, theme, and motivation are sometimes left on the sideline because they weren't a part of the inspiring vision you first conceived, yet its these forces- when properly conceived that set your story, or ideas into motion.

Imagine your creative mind is like a storming ocean deep inside you subconscious, There may be a trillion ideas washing back and forth, but what is drawing them out? What are they to stick to or dock from? themes and myths are great tools for the imagination because they are vague enough to allow maximum freedom, while still acting as a lightening rod for your relevant ideas.

Too often we go into our minds with nothing, expecting something to gravitate toward us, or for ideas to just collide into concepts like swirls of gas into a star (too bad our minds aren't based on the forces of gravity).

* * *

Lastly In these short years on earth I've stumbled upon a powerful tool to cultivate imagination, I call it improv. There is something about improvisation theatre that functions like a 20 K creative triathlon (minus the sweat and pain).

When done right, with equally creative people, improv theatre can break open the flood gates for ideas, characters, plot, and dialogue, all through some impromptu role playing. I believe improv creates a context that most people never find themselves in, and exercises muscles that we can barely stretch.

-First, you must enter the stage with an empty mind, no thoughts, no preconceived ideas.
-Second, (if you've squashed you inhibitions) you will be in a calm and relaxed state.
-Third, there is a subtle (external) force requiring your creative input (ie you have an audience watching/ waiting for you to deliver your line or response, which unlike daydreaming puts a little pressure on you to think.)
-Lastly, well run improv is a safe and positive environment, where you will almost always receive positive feedback (ie laughter) from your response on stage.

People who love improv will tell you that when things get going, ideas, reactions, and responses flow quite easily, training your mind to both think, act, and react in the moment.


This type of thinking is similar to making conversation and formal debate, but with more hospitable conditions and more freedom for creative expression.

* * *

Concluding thoughts

So where does creativity come from? How does it get blocked? And more importantly how do you unblock it?

My Creative Writing professor told me a writer's block doesn't exist. Of course her solution was to just sit down and start writing, insisting that anything will lead to something good eventually. And though I can see where she is coming from she was also trying to ward off dreamers from waiting patiently for their inspiration, this can leave some people waiting a long time, with nothing accomplished.

(check out Kafka's parable called "before the Law" and see how Kafka envisions the search for inspiration.)

However I believe my professor fails short in her perception of the artist. I believe a creative person should work whether they are inspired or not; however- I also believe working when inspired/ with inspired ideas is more preferable.

Artists themselves need to realize that moments of inspiration can be self induced, wielded and ultimately rest in the control of the artist himself. Its your gate, your lock, and only you have the right crowbar to prop it open.

E of A sketches

This is a collection of sketches meant to represent art, activism and
the way in which they interact in society. Make sure to read the legend below,
to better understand the images.

E of A (legend)

In my FACS class Art and Activism we were asked to conceptualize activism insofar as it interacts/affects/and is affected by art. The images to follow are interpretive- to a certain point, however each "scenario" is meant to be a separate example of how art, activism and society intermingle.

an Artist Manifesto

1. Art is a language, it must be written in words. The reason there are no more art movements is because there are no more languages. Post Modernism destroyed them all.

Languages are born out of recognition, reproduction, pattern and memory

Without memory we can never improve, change, evolve, grow, or sustain what we value.

2. Time is a natural resource. It is an Artist’s air. We sell our air just to survive and then everybody wonders why all the Artists are holding their breath.

3. Art is freedom. It needs freedom like plants need water and sunlight. It can exist with less freedom as a deformed and stunted plant continues to exist.

4. Freedom lives in two dimensions; one in the real world, and the other in our minds. One is the unlocking of a gate, and the other is knowing the gate is unlocked.

5. Most of the world’s greatest masterpieces were never created. They failed to escape the mind who first conceived them.

6. Civilization can survive without Art, it has and still does in many places. It isn’t society but the soul that falls apart without it.

7. Art can and does serve the wealthy and powerful. Only we decide when it deserves better.

8. A true Artist is open minded to everything, he listens then interprets accordingly.

9. There is such a thing as bad art, it is exists in the absence of thought, inspiration, imagination and vision. Good Artists are aware of these forces, great Artists possess them, and Masters weald them.

Good art touches something that others try to access through it. It is the marriage of the intellect and the emotions.

10. An Artist must farm their imagination to strengthen their creativity. One can gain or lose creative power depending on one’s habits.

11. A strong imagination is limitless, it feels like an ocean of possibilities. The artist’s conception is the wind that carves and molds these troubled waters.

12. An artist’s tools disappear every time he steps into a new media. We begin using them without knowing how they work let alone that they exist. With every new creation the tools become a little clearer. With every new media, our old tools change.

13. an Artist knows when art is being truthful. Unauthentic art exudes a lofting, almost undetected- funny smell.

14. Living in constant inspiration is the goal of any Artist lucky enough to have experienced it before.

15. Artists cannot fit into social conventions- when they do, they cease being Artists. This transition is reversible.

16. A true Artist is not economical, he pours into his work every detail he hopes others will pull out of it. There are no short cuts to a master piece.

17. obfuscation is not a style. It fills the white space within a young Artist’s work, and helps distract the teacher from seeing these empty spaces.

18. Artists don’t see what exists, we bring what doesn’t yet exist… into this world.