This is not really a daunting question – cartoons of pilgrims and gurus on precipitous peaks notwithstanding. What is the meaning of …
This is not really a daunting question – cartoons of pilgrims and gurus on precipitous peaks notwithstanding. What is the meaning of a painting, a poem or a novel? The academic may attempt a convoluted answer but for most of us the answer springs quickly and readily to mind. The meaning is in the experience as it occurs. The “meaningâ can no more be distilled from the art than blue can be separated from the Australian sky. It is so intrinsic to the experience that they are one and the same. The meaning of Macbeth, Godot, a Velasquez portrait or a Mozart aria cannot be abstracted without killing the art. So we leave the patient alone and simply accept the meaning is in the experience of the art as we stand before it. Other, more trivial things, may be taken from the experience and turned around and argued upon, but the essence and the heart of the art will not lend itself to the vivisection. And so, the Meaning of Life is indeed in the experience of it. With great faith I believe that this experience is complete whether the life is short or long, full or (apparently) empty, rich or poor, healthy or ailing. Each has a vitality which colour the tapestry. So, the more difficult question, at least to me, is what is the purpose of life, what end does it indeed serve? And here we enter the realm of who is experiencing the life as it is lived. The I can no more experience it than a circle can define itself. A circle without that which lies beyond it cannot be round. And I, without that which lies beyond it (experiencing the life and giving it meaning) cannot have definition. The fact that we have definition (to most of us) is a great comfort as it points to that which lies beyond. In meditation we grasp at this – that which is beyond the I – and aspire to know more about the context in which the experience of life is being lived. This is a journey beyond simple thought. Not even Christ or the Buddha attempted to put into words the precise nature of the Divinity they so deeply knew.
As the title implies… I think I ended up causing something on people. Usually I get this effect when I write so I wasn’t sure I would b…
As the title implies… I think I ended up causing something on people. Usually I get this effect when I write so I wasn’t sure I would be able to do the same with images. Don’t know if be surprised or frightened. I had a bad nightmare that I decided to twist and modify so I could turn it into something useful (in this case: art) and promptly fired up 3dsMAX and began modelling. After several hours of trial and error with the lights I got a nice setup and finally decided to render, then proceed to Photoshop for the “final” composition. Now, when I showed the finished image to friends and relatives most semeed either creeped out or disturbed by the… umm, ‘thing’ I modelled. Guess we all have a primal fear with doors and the mysteries they might hide behind! Today I decided to do a second shot of the creature, which turned out to be the creepiest… Here they are if you want to take a look: First one / Second attempt I don’t know, maybe I didn’t suffer the same effect because I know how the scene is built and what lies between the polys, etc, etc, etc (and probably because I already have nightmares with bad rendered polys and meshes that refuse to work well).
It is my belief that the t-shirt aspect of RedBubble has not yet reached its potential. What t-shirt designers must remember is that h…
It is my belief that the t-shirt aspect of RedBubble has not yet reached its potential. What t-shirt designers must remember is that here they are competing with a superior aesthetic quality in wall art. The photography and visual art which produces wall art is of a far superior quality aesthetic value than t-shirt designs. High resolution prints can be easily achieved by said artists, while t-shirt designs will always be of a lesser quality because of the material they are printed onto. Thus, trying to make t-shirt designs compete with the wall-art side of RedBubble in aesthetic value is too daunting a task to be overly successful. A picture produced for aesthetic quality is one which draws-in viewers because they simply ‘look good’ to them. It is here that there is a severe disadvantage in aesthetically pleasing pictures – their message, if any, goes totally unnoticed. People looking at pictures want only to be pleased, and so the people producing pictures choose only to produce pictures to please. This appears to be the basis of the wall art side of RedBubble. This is also where t-shirt designs should be utilising a strong advantage. Humans, although wanting to be pleased by beauty, also have brains – therefore they also wish to think. It is this wish for thought that will, eventually, see t-shirt designs being able to compete on a level with wall art in RedBubble. T-shirt designs must appeal to the thought and intelligence of people – filling the gap left by wall art – and propose, above all, a message. This message is achieved by an alienation effect. The alienation effect is where a viewer is forced to be distant from the aesthetics of the design, and instead looks upon the message being presented – thus filling the aforementioned thought void. A t-shirt design must, therefore, not aim to be above all aesthetically pleasing, but to propose a message. Simple pictures and wording, with little minor detail, and still some rough-edges will force any viewer not to look at a t-shirt design for it’s beauty. However, if the aforementioned aspects of designing are used to propose a message, a viewer will think about said message. If the message is strong enough, then the t-shirt design will be popular. T-shirts have the advantage of being a revolutionary tool. Anyone wanting to get out a message will sooner sport a t-shirt with the message than put a print on their wall, because more people would see the t-shirt, and thus the message. While wall art is used for personal satisfaction, a t-shirt design may be used to communicate a whole chain of thought; to propagate a message. It is in this way that t-shirt designs will become more popular, as more people appreciate the message they get out, and thus more people will want to get out said messages. I so conclude that t-shirt designs must not aim to trump wall art for aesthetic value, but instead alienate a viewer in order to present a message or thought. If t-shirt designers are to produce designs to be popular on the level that wall art is, then they should follow the guide of this journal entry, and so create a specific culture of thought and intelligence to surround the t-shirts of RedBubble.
Looking through RedBubble, it’s interesting to see the differences in how different artists approach their photography. I’ve begun to no…
Looking through RedBubble, it’s interesting to see the differences in how different artists approach their photography. I’ve begun to notice that RedBubble really is a haven for the more “out there” photography, the kind of art that may not win traditional competitions, but breaks the rules or is a real expression of the artist. While some people walk the line between both, it seems that often you are a conceptual photographer, or the kind that tries to find a photo anywhere. I belong to the latter group. I love waiting for moments to just happen, to find great photos in banal settings, or to go and photograph something quite common that every now and then becomes brilliant, through chance lighting or a rare interaction. Even in my pet photography I rebel against setting up the animals into poses or pushing them into studio settings. I prefer to wait for the moments and the expressions to happen naturally and spontaneously. With my zoo photography, it is a buzz to be the only one left waiting for something to happen while the rest of the crowd got bored and left. It’s sometimes difficult to wait for moments to just happen. There’s no guarantee they will obviously, and time is money. All my favourite shots though have happened out of the blue or without planning, and that gives me the most satisfaction. It seems one of my most popular photos on RedBubble is this one: This was a fluke. Taken at a Zoo, this Gorilla was mesmerised by some bubbles being blown by the visiting children. For about a minute there was real silence in the enclosure as the human children and young Gorilla both watched the same bubble float above them and then both visibly smiled when it popped. Somehow this feels more special than if I’d been able to wave a fruit over the top of the Gorilla’s head to manipulate the expression. Another one is this – my favourite Lion shot. This moment between two brothers only lasted about a minute but it’s not often you get to witness a moment of tenderness between animals normally depicted as ferocious killers. Even this portrait of my dog which turned out to be my favourite of him was taken without planning. In fact as I took it I was joking to a friend about how he likes to pose and wait for the click of the shutter. Without planning or intention, I managed to capture what I think really expresses his personality. I suppose even those images of mine that may appear set up, never were. This shot (which is always linked in my head as the thematic equivalent of the Grandaddy song in the description) was also just a candid, but it was easy to see at the time the universal appeal of ‘man against the world’. I can equally see the fun of conceptual shots. Bringing to life the vision in your head must be difficult and fraught with frustration at times! I wonder how many people enjoy both types of photography, or do most people stick to one type?
Yeah, newspapers, insomnia, finals and other things turn me into a ranting mob. Where should I begin? Well, I already mentioned in a p…
Yeah, newspapers, insomnia, finals and other things turn me into a ranting mob. Where should I begin? Well, I already mentioned in a previous entrance the waiting matter so now let’s complain a bit about thievery and insecurity. Today I stepped out of our apartment only to find that our neighbour’s recently bought car already had its glasses broken and the stereo gone. I reach my aunt’s house and, joy, the front door has been forced and now it takes some strength to close it properly as the lock seems to have been hit and budge a lot. Now, how dangerous is to be struggling to close a damn door in an area that IS dangerous? Not good. In movies we have Spiderman and Batman and the super heroes/heroines to save our sorry asses. In reality, we are always one step away from getting robbed, stabbed or shot (or all at once…) This leads me to the core of the issue: insecurity has become pretty annoying (though not sure if “unbearable”, I know it’s even worse in some areas) and it’s starting to take me more and more effort to get out from home. For example, I absolutely stopped going out at night due to this. Some will say, “coward”, “pussy” and all that crap. Watch how someone is getting robbed at the front of your home and then think about stepping outside. These new “generation” of “thieves” are no longer such thing. Recently, we have a gang of 12 people, kids from 8 to 15 (YOU READ WELL, 8 TO 15) that have been robbing around all the stores within a 12 streets radius. Now, tell me if that isn’t crude and sad. No, it’s worse. They consume glue (pegamento, they carry it in small bags and keep aspiring it as their improvised drug), they assault people totally drugged… all at 50 m of one of the most important malls of the city. Police? They caught ‘em many times, releasing them hours later. They are minors, they can’t be judged. Though they already threatened people with guns and knives, attacked a girl from pharmacy, stole my brother several times and also followed my mother a couple of times too. So this is getting pretty shitty… However, “shitness” has many levels and degrees and we still don’t have to travel in armoured cars and such but, seriously, it’s getting out of control. Another example, at my Univ, which, by the way is public and practically allows anyone to enter in the building, thieves also stalked in some of the corridors and threatened and robbed several people. Again, it could’ve been worse. That’s the problem. It can always be f-—- worse. But I don’t want that. I just don’t want it to happen! It isn’t good at all to say “it could be worse”, I give jack s—- about that… I wish politcians could dedicate more to solve these issues instead of counting votes for october. I’m SICK of getting outside and being forced to look over my back to make sure I’m being followed or something. To be avoiding some people because they are drugged or something (I was heading to a work interview and a stupid guy almost kicked my face with his dirty shoes because he was just… dunno, playing kicks and hitting the air. Seriously, that’s absolutely screwed.) Oh, then we have the issue of the general “unclean” state of urban ambiences. We humans dwell in cities because they are supossedly safe. Seeing them from a satellite only shows ants nests consuming the world and absolutely ravaging the environment… That’s not too safe. About dirty things, streets, if they aren’t broken enough to make my 69 grandfather trip and break his leg and watch in awe how nobody helped him (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KILL APATHY DAMMIT!!!! If nuclear strikes don’t kill us all, then apathy will), or the fact that a bunch of people have dogs but they don’t hesitate to make them Sh!t EVERYWHERE. I mean it. Everywhere. make two steps and you stepped over some dirty and smelly dog poo. Disgusting. Shows the personality of the owner I guess. If you can’t clean your dog’s crap how could you be a clean person yourself… I sometimes think I was boring in the wrong time, planet and species. Well, to keep surviving I guess… sigh And don’t get me started with inflation. Government has already been dennounced (sp? anyway, I know my text is full of mistakes, I rushed like mad with this) for altering the inflation and prices indexes. Things have gone UP bad. Seems like there is no escape as well, because you check how anti-immigration are many countries, how nazi and fascist a lot of people is turning as soon as they see an “outsider”, how… Crap, I’m hating everything at the moment. Over and out. I remeber the title of a thread at the forums, about if you wished to be a kid or not. I don’t know, ignorance can be a bliss but, and I also mentioned this in someone’s journal entry, kids can and are some of the cruelest beings. Then you wonder about all that stuff called “childhood traumas”... It totally defeats the purpose of really trying to be a kid again. As adults we could shape the world for future (and hopefully better… though at this rate I don’t know) generation or at least handle them all the information to help them avoid all the mistakes of the past. went too philosophic I’m putting and end to this rant or else I will never finish. If you read through this mess… well, congratulations. It’s a total mess really so my apologies for the disastrous grammar/spelling or weird sentences caused by my attempts at using english. In short, down with insecurity, apathy and… damn dirty dog poo. I know it’s not the poor animal’s fault but… Sometimes I really want to slap the owners! I mean, this will sound unethical, but a woman literally put the dog next to my feet to do “his thing” and… I just wished her the worse. Not really the best, not good at all, though it’s in our nature to be a walking polarity, to be all good thoughts and then turn into devil’s incarnation. Anyway, over and out. Let’s hope for a better tomorrow.
For an image to be considered “great” or “worthy”, it has to find a mirror of greatness within the observer, for without that two-way ref…
For an image to be considered “great” or “worthy”, it has to find a mirror of greatness within the observer, for without that two-way reflection in one who sees, it has no value. Having made this comment, I would like to add that IMHO, the most important value any artistic image has is to the one who created it. / And this is regardless of whether anyone else ever views it. After all, it is our story we are telling, our feelings we are placing in tangible form, our souls we are laying bare…...and we are the first to view them as they separate themselves from us and take a life of their own. I know how my heart swells up when I create an image that resonates with the truth of my spirit….. or when I steal one of “God’s” scenes with my camera (!!) First and foremost the creation of an image is an expression of self, for oneself. / That is pure and fundamental worth. / Then it expands with every other person who gazes upon it….regardless of their interpretation. / Invisible layers of meaning placed over it by those who observe….. / each painting it with what they recognize from within themselves…. / I find when I look at a picture, I see first what I know exists within myself….. or my experience….then I seek the new and unknown. forgive the waffling….just me over my first cup of coffee this morning… (you should hear me after the last glass of wine at night! lol)
I used to be a lay-preacher (like, 10 or 12 years ago now!). I’m an atheist these days but was asked recently what I would say if invite…
I used to be a lay-preacher (like, 10 or 12 years ago now!). I’m an atheist these days but was asked recently what I would say if invited to speak. I wrote this (very short) one and kinda liked it. Thought I’d share it… “I don’t think there’s a god. I am not even remotely a fan of Paul – bit of a knob in my opinion – however jesus is a bit of a lad. / “Love you neighbour as yourself.” What does that mean? Most would say it means ‘be good to your neighbours’. / I say it also means ‘You can only love anyone else as well as you already love yourself.’. / Step 1in life. Learn to love yourselves – just as you are. / Step 2. With the inner confidence and security that brings, practise real humility. What is real humility? It is not actually considering others to be actually better than you. That is a lack of self love that will lead nowhere but to bitterness and resentment. It is, knowing what your wants and needs are, silently and temporarily setting them aside in order to meet someone else’s needs with no expectation of anything in return. This includes “I’m doing this for you so god will give me a golden mansion-with-everything in heaven”. That strikes me as simply Delayed Selfishness where the onus is on a santa-claus god to spring for the goods because you’ve been a good boy or girl. It also means asking for help when you need it, and accepting help when it is offered. True humility is not “I am a self-sufficient island requiring nothing, but let me help you…”. You know that lovely feeling you get when you help someone somehow? Let other people feel that by allowing them to help you. This is as important (if not more important) than being ready to offer your help to others. If you always pour out and let no-one pour in, you wind up empty… True humility is freakin’ rare, even in the most holy of folk from any religion you care to name. Why is it so important though? Consider a society where this happens as a matter of course. Who will ever miss out on anything? No-one. Ever. You don’t miss out – because even as you’re setting your stuff aside for someone else, yet another person will set aside something for you – and so on ad infinitum. I dream about a society like that. We wouldn’t bloody NEED heaven ‘cause we’d have it right here. No-one really knows what happens after we die, if anything. We do know that right now, we are here. We can make here Heaven or Hell. Our choice. Step 1 though is always Learn to Love Yourself. This is not ‘selfish’, it is necessary. Grasping, selfish, egotistical and arrogant behaviour springs from a lack of self love, not a surplus.”
Every morning, / / as I wake up / / I take my bottle of Faith / / and have a big shot / / before my breakfast. / / And this keeps …
Every morning, / / as I wake up / / I take my bottle of Faith / / and have a big shot / / before my breakfast. / / And this keeps me going all day long. / / / Where did I find this bottle? / / One day, / / while looking for ready answers / / from a salesman of canned happiness / / I said, / / wait a minute, / / maybe I can save some soul dollars / / and find something / / inside my home. / / Sure enough, / / after some search, / / in one dusted corner / / of my soul / / there it was: / / an unopened full bottle / / of Faith. / / To this day, / / I take a shot every single day. / / But the bottle remains full. / / I realized it stays so / / by Faith / /
There’s nothing that beats the workings of the mind, be that good or evil, be that towards the light or towards the dark forces. / / My …
There’s nothing that beats the workings of the mind, be that good or evil, be that towards the light or towards the dark forces. / / My soul’s choice for my mind was on the side of light and the good. / / And this is good enough for me.
Today I am on RedBubble for two weeks. It is pretty obvious that I am bubbling on happily. To submit 75 shots within such a short time ha…
Today I am on RedBubble for two weeks. It is pretty obvious that I am bubbling on happily. To submit 75 shots within such a short time has meant that the new gallery has already won a reasonable size showing the range of my sort of nature and especially landscape photography here in the Netherlands. It will be my pleasure to try to add at least one more shot each day, but I somehow have the feeling that that will be quite a task. I mean, only one per day! I have so much stuff in my collection which I would love to share with you. Indeed I have got a wonderful response from you. Of course, the number of watcher is as yet nothing like the 650 which I had on my “lightthinker”-gallery before I stopped it this week. But it is growing each day, and a new start is a new start. Giving up “lightthinker” for the time being was quite a decision, but somehow it came quite naturally. I had started on something new here, and it was the new RedBubble world that took up my central attention. One cannot and must not always keep to the same thing! I shall keep one active deviantArt gallery, i.e. my “jchanders”-gallery over there. It will be my general gallery now, while this one will solely contain Dutch stuff. Let me restate here: digital photography and the galleries have changed my life in the last years. Never would I have thought before 2005 to get up on my bike while it is still dark outside in order to reach some sunrise spot 10 miles away! I know there seems to be a certain element of madness in it in summer, when I get out on my bike at 4.30 am, but is there really? Any hunter or fisherman gets out that early, why should a nature photographer not do so? And I am a hunter, a hunter for pictures! This brings me to a couple of remarks about my manner of taking pictures. Several questions have reached me, and I think it is good to answer them here so that everybody who likes to know, can indeed read about it here. Picture hunting for me means getting out and taking a real big number of shots! To get just the one shot, I take at least 2, often 5 or 10 of a certain scene. And my knees know it: never did so many kneebends in all my life. Actually I hate that the Nikon D80 does not have live view, as I like to hold the cam still lower, but find lying down on my belly just a bit too much of an effort. Actually I did it once: it was on the lovely sand of a beach, and it was the only way of getting a great bird shot. But mushrooms and other little wonders want to be taken from a low position, too … So when I come home with 200 or 300 shots, I first throw out quite a number. The rest stays in the file, as the computer can take so much. But I am most choosy in what I put on a gallery, no more than perhaps 2, 4 or 5 shots. I always tell myself when I go: if I come back with just one really good shot, the trip is a success. Actually there are a few more generally these days, after I got the feeling of my Nikon D 80 (it took me some weeks, if not months and a lot of experimenting before that was the case, even though I had quite reasonable results from the very first hour of using it) and had found a saturation and white balance position to my liking. I generally do not change these now. I keep the cam in shoot-clear position when I go out, choosing the right ISO for the sort of light beforehand. That can mean that I use a pretty high ISO for a wood scene, then get out into the open and just forget about it in my enthusiasm. Well, I have learnt it the hard way. After all shooting a sunrise at 1000 ISO is just impossible … Actually I mostly shoot in shutter mode. I started with the automatic mode, and often get very good results with it, if I do not forget to choose a slightly lower opening, a third or even two thirds of a point, as the camera has a tendency to overexpose. Of course I adapt the shutter speed to circumstances. That can be quite tricky, especially with the forest shots, as I need a reasonably high F for a good dof. The depth of field was quite a problem with my Nikkor 18-200 mm lense as I was used to have a wonderful dof with my Panasonic FZ 10. It had a much wider dof that the Nikkor lense. Actually I have had a pretty heavy discussion about that on a Nikon club site when people said that that was all nonsense, but I did read it the other day in a photographic journal: the small point-and-shoot cams have a wider dof than the big SLR cams. Do not ask me why. I just had to adapt to the fact that I had no F 2.8 any more as on the Pan FZ 10 and less dof. I can tell you: I came home with a lot of lane shit in the beginning! Zooming a lane, a speciality of mine, without enough F, just does not work! And less than 1/40 from a handheld position is no good with a Nikon D80 even with its stabilizer. So the solution would normally be a tripod. But I must admit: I do HATE tripods. They kill my inspiration. A hunter does normally not put his gun on a tripod either, does he? So I have that thing with me in my sidebag my bike when I go out under low light conditions, but hardly ever use it. I try to find other means, for instance what I call a treepod: I hold the cam firmly against a well-positioned tree to win shutter time. Or I stabilize the cam by resting it on the saddle of my bike (that implies getting of the bike of course and parking it in the good position, and then again some kneebending!). But sometimes there is no other choice but a tripod. Well in such a case I either use it or just get on the the next scene. Take it or leave it! There is so much beauty, so why bother. You see, my problem is that my eyes see beauty everywhere. Well, that is somewhat exaggerated. There is a lot of uglyness around, also here in the Netherlands, but since I am digital I just see beautiful shots all around me. And then the weather and light of course. You can go into the forest 10 times and not get a really good shot due to the fact that really good light is something special. You have to get a feeling for that. The midday hours are generally little good, but sometimes you just want that sort of light. The early morning is better than the evening for softness as the air is still moist in the morning and softens the light, while it is normally dry after the day´s sunshine and just hard in the evening. Well, I seem to be rambling on and on. If you have any questions please do ask them. One probably will be whether I ever followed a course. No, I never did. I just learnt by doing, by trying again and again. Of course, I do read photographic journals from time to time and did look through the one or other how to do book. But there is nothing like the experience you build up yourself. Of course you must learn to use your camera properly, but to tell you a secret: there are so many things that I do not yet know about my D 80. I am still learning, which indeed feeds my intellectual curiosity. After all, once we stop learning and growing we will be just dead. I hope that master death will still wait a bit. Whenever he waves at me in my depressions, the light and colour of my photography do fortunately help a bit to keep that ugly fellow away. So much for beautiful nature photography. Let me stop here. But not without underlining once again that I am enjoying digital photography and my galleries very much indeed. What the “joy of running” is to me a jogger, the “joy of taking and sharing pictures” is to me as a photographer! Thank you ever so much for being able to experience this wonderful feeling! Now also here at RedBubble!!!!! Good luck and good light, Juergen
*The whole notion of intent is one that fascinates me almost to the point of obsession; when looking at or making artwork I always wonder…
The whole notion of intent is one that fascinates me almost to the point of obsession; when looking at or making artwork I always wonder, what is the artist’s intent for this thing that they are making?; what effect, exactly, is it supposed by the artist to have on others?... what effect does making it have on the artist?... and so on. This question of intentionality is strangely absent from most of what is considered critical thinking about Art. Probably the various art objects could even be meaningfully classified according to the various intentions and effects, but somehow this is never done. It can be quite enlightening to try and arrive at a more specific sort of clarity about what our intentions for, and suppositions about, the specific things that we create actually are. Not in the sense of why do artists make Art and what is the purpose of Art?, but rather what are my intentions for this specific thing that I have made, and what effect do I suppose that it will have on others? My personal opinion is that ambiguity is an essential quality of all really great Art. I’m not taking the position that one should read words like “intent”, “understanding”, and “meaning” as if any piece of visual Art shouldn’t be just Art for Art’s sake, as opposed to Art with a message. Speaking only for myself, and the intentionality vs. ambiguity question, my thesis is not contra ars gratia artis; rather, I’m saying that, on close examination, artists actually do have purposes and goals for these things that they make (whether they’re capable of articulating and/or admitting them or not), and these things that they make are worthy of being examined in terms of the artist’s own intentions. “An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Here’s to plain speaking and clear understanding: intent Law: the state of a person’s mind that directs his or her actions toward a specific object. Adjective: 1.firmly or steadfastly fixed or directed. 2.having the attention sharply focused or fixed on something. 3.determined or resolved; having the mind or will fixed on some goal. 4.earnest; intense. - The American Heritage Dictionary (A propos: P.D. Ouspensky, and others, would argue that most of us only imagine that we have intent.) It strikes me that Art making may be the only organized human activity in which a lack of purposes or goals is considered by anyone to be a virtue. Why is this important? Well, for example, try to imagine a major business, charitable, or government organization with no stated purpose or “core values”. No such thing exists. There’s a reason for that: an organization so completely rudderless wouldn’t survive for 15 minutes in the real world. Recently I have initiated some discussions on the topic of “The Question of Intentionality”in a few artists’ forums on the Internet. The Surrealists, as a group, are the ones that get the most upset at the very notion that artists (like everyone else) exhibit goal-directed behavior. Here are some typical responses: “Sorry, don’t have time to think, I just paint because I like it. Don’t want to know the reasons, I prefer mystery, as an open space for imagination.” ”...a drawing with the intention of creating images without having any intentions about what those images will be… the intention to create something unintentionally…” Certainly one can do this, Surrealists, in particular, often do. Nothing wrong with that. However this only brings up other questions of intentionality, as if one were peeling an onion. First, one might ask, what was the artist’s motive (intent) for wanting to “create something unintentionally” in the first place? What result, exactly, did the artist hope to achieve via this method? ”...to connect with deeper psychological and emotional levels.” And then, what is the purpose of that? Self-knowledge? If so, then why show it to anyone else? Because if one makes something with the intent to show it to other people, it seems that there is implied an intent on the part of the artist to produce some effect on the viewer. Artists working within the Abstract paradigm tended to have a different set of objections to the notion of art being intentional. Here’s a particularly articulate example: ”...a reason for someone to dabble in the the arts has been called an addiction and the reason they do it (some artists) is to seek a particular state of being (mind) while in this process of mark making. This is the primary motive or intention of some artists and by using this method it may have been achieved, or not. The actual image, or images, created evolved as an accident. There was no intent to draw, let’s say, eyeballs but when the artist steps back and takes a look all she sees are eyeballs staring back at her. The artist can’t decide whether to show anyone her art… Eventually… she decides to show it to her mom. No matter what the artist does… her mom always says after looking at the daughter’s marks, “That’s nice dear, but why so many nipples.” ...Curiously the observer of the art sees images that are different than what the artist sees. There was no intention to create eyes nor was there any intention to create nipples. After a while the artist gets up enough nerve and shows her work to many people. Each individual sees something different in this abstract piece of art. It appears that each viewer interprets the drawing differently. Perhaps that is another of the artist’s intent, a secondary intent to create mystery and the result was that she succeeded. Bottom line, there was no intention to create eyes, nipples or toes or whatever one might see. The intent was to create ambiguity. Each viewer was allowed to interpret the marks without being told what they should see. The drawing becomes a sort of mirror and reflects back more about the viewer than the artist. Abstract art is curious in this way and perhaps why it leaves many people baffled as to the artist’s intent. They want to see the artist’s intentions, they want to know what it means. Are they being put-on? They may feel that way but few artists apply their art just to make fools of people, maybe.” That’s a chain of events that I find plausible, although I find it disturbing. Not the part about the artist’s intention to “seek a particular state of being (mind) while in this process of mark making.” – that’s something that I’m intimately aware of, and it’s certainly one of a multiplicity of intentions that I ascribe to myself. What disturbs me about this hypothetical anecdote is that it seems to imply that important Art can somehow be made by accident, or, even more disturbingly, that the critic’s rationalization after the fact is somehow more important than the artist’s original act. This was precisely the initial point of contention, reflecting back to a seminal conversation that I had with David Cohen in the September, 2003 issue of Art Critical . Assigning meaning or value to such an object beyond the intentions of its maker seems to me a rather questionable idea. ”...”If a herd of pigs knocked over a table of paints and smeared a canvas, and you liked it, then you’d have to call it art…” We do often find beauty or significance in the chance arrangement of things, whether done by an artist or an accident; an historical accident, in the case of some museum pieces. And, as Carl Jung pointed out with his concept of Synchronicity, this is far from trivial – it tells us something important about ourselves (and nothing in particular about the object). ”...do you think people need to know what your intentions are to understand your paintings? Do you not think something is lost by explaining it? If they don’t get it without it being explained to them, have you failed?” I don’t think there’s anything to “understand”; I’m more interested in having the viewer experience a certain state of mind, of emotion, a profound and lucid calm. If they don’t experience that state when looking at my paintings , I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by “explaining” my intentions; insofar as that particular viewer is concerned, my work has failed utterly. To quote David Cohen, ”...I wouldn’t want to participate in a criticism the function of which would be to award brownie points for good intentions.” One’s paintings might work for some people and not for most people, regardless of any intentions. The fact that some viewers understand and appreciate and others do not has absolutely nothing to do with the question of intentionality. Intentionality is about one’s own purposes and goals, not about the reactions of others. An artist of a mystical/Symbolist bent had this to say: ”...consciousness reflects reality, thus if you alter consciousness, you alter reality… Intent is simply a concentrated, intense energy that we apply—to whatever. As bodies of energy ourselves, we certainly can manifest many things. It is the same with prayer, per se, or meditation. It’s all energy.” And a very pragmatic artist shared this point of view: ”...Intent has to do more with Preparation. Even Improvisation requires some sort of preparation. Spontaneity requires also preparation. The very ability to approach a blank page, a blank canvas or a computer screen is contingent on our inner preparations… contingent on the alignment of our heart, mind, and hands… in the direction of the task.” In conclusion, here is an interesting area of thought: i.e., the historical relationship between Art and ceremonial magick. Arguably this may have been the original (prehistorical) reason for the invention of representational Art. Perhaps Art is something that exists in a realm beyond intentionality, more akin to instinct. It seems to me that the impulse to make Art is both necessary and inevitable, an inextricable part of human nature. I refer again to P. D. Ouspensky: “Man is a machine, but a very peculiar machine which, in the right circumstances, and with the right treatment, can know that he is a machine, and, having fully realized this, he may find ways to cease to be a machine. First of all, what man must know is that he is not one; he is many. He has not one permanent and unchangeable “I” or Ego. He is always different. One moment he is one, another moment he is another, the third moment he is a third, and so on, almost without an end… In reality there is no oneness in man and there is no controlling center, no permanent “I” or Ego. Every thought, every feeling, every sensation, every desire, every like and dislike is an “I”. These “I’s” are not connected and are not co-ordinated in any way. Each of them depends on the change in external circumstances…” (from “The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution”, Chapter 1) Finally, it occurrs to me that Intent plays no role in “evolution” as defined by Charles Darwin; evolution is the result of environmental factors acting on random mutations. In other words, blind chance. Does Art “evolve” in an analogous manner? Or is it, more properly, the intentional product of work done by sentient beings? Heartfelt thanks to all of the thoughtful artists who have taken the time to participate in my ongoing investigation of the Question of Intentionality, and to David Cohen, art critic for the New York Sun, who started me down this path back in 2003. I sincerely hope that readers of this essay will contribute their thoughts to my investigation.
“Is it true?! They can cure us?” _“No, Rogue… they can’t cure you. Do you know why? There’s nothing to cure. Nothing’s wrong with…
“Is it true?! They can cure us?” “No, Rogue… they can’t cure you. Do you know why? There’s nothing to cure. Nothing’s wrong with you… or any of us, for that matter.” X3: The Last Stand might very well have been the worst movie out of the X Men movie trilogy, but some of the underlying social/ ethical issues throughout the movie really did hit home for me. The biggest of these was the issue concerning whether or not Rogue ought to have taken the “mutant cure” and become a normal human being. First, let me provide a bit of background information for those of you who might not be familiar with what I’m talking about – X Men started out as a very popular comic book series that eventually made its way onto the big screen, featuring people who were born with special traits/ abilities/ powers that made them different from others. These people were called mutants, and were feared by the rest of the human race because of what made them different. Eventually, however, that fear began to melt away, and was instead replaced with (misguided?) compassion – in X3: The Last Stand, a medical company develops a serum that, when taken by injection, removes the mutant gene from the body, and turns the mutant into an ordinary human being, without any of the different traits/ abilities/ powers they had been born with. This, of course, sparks a fierce controversy in the mutant population – for some mutants, their special abilities (ranging from telepathy, fast reflexes, the ability to manipulate the elements, etc.) are something to be celebrated, and any attempt to remove that or take it away is a huge insult to everything they are. For other mutants, this cure is viewed as an opportunity to finally be free of oppression, exclusion, and prejudice – an opportunity to finally be accepted by the mainstream society that has given them the cold shoulder for so long. This is especially true for a mutant named Rogue, whose special ability is that she can inflict intense, even life-threatening, pain on somebody just by touching them. Some might think it to be amazing, but for Rogue, it is a curse, as she feels condemned to live for the rest of her life without ever coming into contact with another human being. Her powers prevent her from being able to touch her boyfriend, Bobby, and prevent her from being able to even kiss him without putting his life in danger. As a result, she is eager to get a dose of the mutant cure, in spite of the fact that a lot of her peers and friends advise her not to, or at least think it over instead of just rushing into it. The question that I would like to ask the RedBubble community, particularly the gay and the Christian community on RedBubble, is: what if there was a way to cure homosexuality? What if it was possible for a gay person to change his or her sexuality and become a heterosexual? How many of us in the gay community would take that cure? I don’t care if you believe your sexuality cannot be changed. Assume, for a minute, that what I’m asking you right now is actually common knowledge and you really did have a choice. The reason I am asking you this question, is because this is a path that I have recently wondered if I am capable of walking on. As I said in a previous journal entry- , yes, I am gay… I also became a Christian four years ago, and have been trying to live my life in tune with the message of Jesus Christ ever since. I can’t say I left behind a life of promiscuity, since I’ve only had sex twice in my entire life… but the fact remains that my sexual desires are still directed towards other men, and even going beyond sex, I find it virtually impossible to even imagine myself married to and in love with a woman, with biological children of my own. Now this probably isn’t a problem at all for the gay man who doesn’t believe in God, and recklessly acts on his sexual desires every chance he gets, but for someone like me… it’s tough to call yourself a true follower of Christ when you find yourself getting really uncomfortable with verses in the Bible like Romans 1:27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Promiscuity no longer feels like freedom… instead, I only feel like a slave to my own body, which is humiliating, considering that I’d like to be seen as an intelligent human being that’s above bowing to every single request made by the area between my legs. In terms of love… I’d like to imagine that there’s a man out there who sees past whatever he witnesses with his own two eyes. I’d like to imagine that there’s a man out there who sees kindness and graciousness before he even notices muscles or good looks… a man who knows and loves Christ more than he could ever love me, and at the same time, be willing to make a commitment so that my lips would be the only lips he would ever kiss for as long as we both would live. And then I wonder… am I wishing for an impossibility, hoping that there’s a good Christian man out there that I could love with all my heart? Is it even more outrageous to hope that God would look down from Heaven at the two of us and smile? Is it like holding an apple in your outstretched hand, and hoping that it’ll fly up into the sky, instead of falling down to the ground when you let it go? I ask all this because I just get so tired of being at war with myself. The worst fight is over, mind you – I feel that it’s important to let you all know that I’m NOT struggling with this because I’ve got this intense fear that God is going to send me to hell. If it’s true that whosoever believes in the divinity of Christ Jesus will have everlasting life, then there’s no need for me to be afraid of the future. But if it’s also true that real Christianity transcends mere religion, and is instead a relationship with God, then I see my homosexuality as a barrier preventing my relationship with God from becoming more wonderful than it is as of today. Think of it this way – imagine a man who has the perfect wife… a wife who loves him wholly, unconditionally… and constantly forgives him in spite of the fact that he’s constantly cheating on her. The man sees how much his wife loves him and feels an intense wave of guilt over the fact that he feels so unworthy of her love because of his unfaithfulness to her. The husband knows that his wife’s love for him is so pure that she would never divorce him, but instead of seeing that as an incentive to keep cheating, the man is now inspired to stop, in hopes of becoming at least a little more worthy of the love that his wife gives so freely. That’s kind of the way it feels between me and God. I know, of course, that salvation is given by grace, and that even if I was as good of a person as Mother Teresa, it could never match the kind of love that God has for me. That being said, I also feel it important to mention that I’m not looking to destroy my sexuality in order to earn God’s love. There’s no point in trying to earn something that was already given to me freely. The reason why I’m trying to do this is because it tortures me to know that God is so madly in love with somebody like me, and I feel as if He deserves so much better than me. So even if I could never be “good enough” to God, I feel as if I should at least try to be good enough, so I can feel a little less guilt over the fact that I’ve received an incredible blessing that I know I don’t deserve. Think about the last time you deeply hurt somebody you love. Then think about how good it felt to be forgiven…to have that person hug you, look into your eyes and say, “It’s okay. I forgive you. I love you and will always love you.” I think about God’s forgiveness, and I as much as I am filled with relief and happiness… there’s another voice that points a finger at me and says, “You’re such a fucking asshole! If you really understood the weight of what you had done, you would’ve jumped into a tub of acid, because a person as bad as you doesn’t deserve to even look into the face of the person you wronged.” I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s felt this… more often than not, even though we wish to be forgiven… a lot of us sometimes wish that the person we hurt would stop loving us altogether, because we know that punishment is what we actually deserve, as opposed to having that person look us in the eye and say “I love you still, and I don’t love you any less than I did yesterday, or the day before.” To have God say that makes you all the more aware of how unworthy you really are… it makes you feel bad about yourself… it makes you want to hold God at arms length and wail “Look, God – just don’t_… STOP IT, okay?! I know You love me, and I love You too…but You’re too good for me, and I love You too much to let you settle for less than what You actually deserve… so let me just jump off this bridge, so You’ll have room in Your life to actually find someone who’s _GOOD ENOUGH for You, because that person isn’t me, as much as I wish it was!” So, going back to homosexuality… what if there really was a way to become straight? What if there really was a way to be at least a_little_ bit less ashamed of yourself when you look into God’s face for the first time? Why would anyone turn down the opportunity to make life a little easier, Christian or not? And if the opportunity is truly there, what am I supposed to do? Watch lesbian porn for weeks on end until I finally get turned on by it? Ask a random girl out on a date and pretend that I’m sincere enough times, hoping that by the end of the date I really will be sincere about it? It’s obviously not enough to argue the point that one should turn away from homosexuality because the Bible commands you to… if that was all it took, then nobody on this planet would be gay because nearly everybody on this earth has heard a pastor say those words at least once! So having a valid point in an argument clearly doesn’t do the job… So to my fellow brothers/ sisters in Christ, I ask you, how exactly does one deal with and fix homosexuality after letting God into their lives? I’ve prayed about it more than once, believe me, and my prayers have not been halfhearted either… yet I woke up the next morning and was still gay, so if “former” homosexuals are the real deal, it’d be nice to know what it is they did that I am obviously forgetting to do. I’m not even leading a homosexual “lifestyle” – been celibate for four years, don’t go to gay clubs/ bars/ events, don’t go around looking for hookups with other guys – check, check… checking everything off my list and I still know quite clearly in my heart that I’m gay. So what exactly am I missing? And to my gay friends/ family… if there really was a way to turn yourself around, if there truly exists out there a way for you to no longer be a homosexual, would you take the opportunity? And if you wouldn’t, why not? I sincerely hope you’ll try to give me more than the “I was born this way/ love yourself for who you are” cliché. There are serial killers and pedophiles out there that could probably make that same argument (keep in mind that I’m not equating my fellow gay brothers/ sisters with serial killers and pedophiles – I’m just saying that clichés heard a thousand times will not justify you in the eyes of the rest of the world when worse people than you will say the same things). Just because you’re born a certain way doesn’t mean you need to stay that way. If a person is born blind, would it be wrong for him to accept a doctor’s offer to give him a new set of eyes? Would the rest of his blind friends tell him there’s no need, and that he’s fine the way he is? And is that just because none of them have ever known what it’s like to have sight, therefore they just don’t know any better? Again, I say all this because I want to at least try. For all anyone knows, I might fall flat on my face and fail. I might never get married or fall in love for the rest of my life. I might even fall deeply in love with a man and stay married to him for the rest of my life. At this point, I hardly know what to pray for anymore. I might show up in Heaven one day just to have the angels say, “We’re letting you in, but just make sure you know that you were fooling yourself when you thought being in a loving monogamous relationship with another man would erase what the Bible said about homosexuality. Doesn’t matter if you sincerely loved him and weren’t having one-night stands all over the place.” I might hang my head in shame (I’m going to be humbled in the presence of God regardless), but I want to at least be able to say, “Yes, I failed at being able to live completely by Your word, God… but I can tell You, if nothing else, that at least it wasn’t for the lack of trying.”
Let’s try to imagine the City Without Art. At work,You can turn on the radio, but there’s no music. Music doesn’t exist. Just talk: ne…
Let’s try to imagine the City Without Art. At work,You can turn on the radio, but there’s no music. Music doesn’t exist. Just talk: news, opinion, advertising, propaganda… At the end of your working day, you can’t go to the theatre, or the opera, or a concert, or the movies; they don’t exist. You can’t go home and get comfortable with a good book; there are no novels, no short stories, no poetry. None of these things exist. You can go to a restaurant, but remember, the culinary arts don’t exist. You can turn on the TV, but there are no movies, no comedies, no dramas. Just more talk talk talk and advertising. But even the ads have no element of art or music. They are not entertaining in any way. You can read, maybe, the biography of a politician, a general, or a scientist (not a painter, or a singer, or an actor because there aren’t any), but the prose is going to be utterly dry; remember, there are no “writers” as we know them, because writing is an art. The visual arts don’t exist either. No matter where you look, indoors or out, there are no gardens, no parks, no fountains, no sculptures. The buildings are not designed by architects. They are designed by accountants and engineers. Not only are they devoid of all ornament, they have been built with no thought to proportion or grace. There are no colored paints; whatever requires a coating to prevent oxidation is a dull red-brown. Everything else is the grey of unfinished concrete, except for the roofs, which are a dull, dirty white. All of them. Inside, all furniture is exactly the same, whether you are in an office or a private residence. It’s been designed by orthopedists and accountants. There are no printed or patterned fabrics, not on the upholstery, not on the floors, not on the people’s clothing. There are no colors. Everything is utterly drab. What would the clothing look like? Would there be windows? Go ahead, try to imagine it. And then tell me humans don’t need art.
Bertrand Russell described love as a condition of ‘absolute value’, as opposed to ‘relativ…
Bertrand Russell described love as a condition of ‘absolute value’, as opposed to ‘relative value’. Love recognizes a state of truth distinct from, and opposite to, the idea that there is a difference between the subject and the object. It is sometimes called ‘pantheism’. Love is reality itself, of which we incorrectly perceive ourselves as an isolated part. “At the deepest level of our being - the divinity within that we share with all beings - there is no separation between me and you. At any moment it is possible to experience the warmth and openness of a heart connection with any living creature: a lover, a child, a friend, a stranger passing on the street, or even a dog. When we appreciate the beauty of another’s being, the heart channel opens and a spark of absolute love passes through us. In this moment of connection we no longer feel so separate or isolated. We delight in sharing the one lovely, tender presence that dwells in the heart of all.” / - William Harryman There’s love and then there’s Real Love. Small – l – love is like a little stream that will dry up after the rain stops; like a kind of barter, this for that. Real Love is like a mighty spring that gushes up – it is primal, ubiquitous, boundless, inexhaustible… it’s funny how we humans can so often be blind to such a Big Thing… hard to talk about, but I know what Love is! To say that “God is Love” is true, insofar as it goes, but these words are empty pale shadows of the direct experience of that simple, human thing we call “love”. So huge and yet so small. A light brighter than the Sun (it’s been called “the Sun behind the Sun”) yet something as ordinary as putting on your shoes. What I discovered through the practice of Vipassana meditation (specifically the meditation on Metta, or Universal Love) is that love is something one does. One can love regardless of the object, and in my experience this led to a state of extreme bliss which I believe is referred to as the first jhana. One then feels Love as a force that is all-encompassing and all-powerful, and one’s personality is completely dissolved in It – I mean, completely swept away. It’s very difficult to describe; a pleasure unimaginable, a light brighter than I would imagine the core of a galaxy to be. And this led to a magical world where literally every thing was alive with meaning. But, at the same time, I’m aware that this enormous experience of mine was nothing more than the direct experience of the simple, natural act of loving another being (and it’s quite true that one really can’t love one being without simultaneously loving all beings)... When one Loves, one Loves everyone, literally, and that certainly includes oneself because we are all part of the same Big Thing. The separation of individuals, at a certain level of awareness, ceases to be. It’s an illusion. So when you Love, you certainly Love yourself also, because you’re part of everyone. I had lived for 47 years and had, in general, been a kind person who always tried to do the right thing and live by the Golden Rule, but I hadn’t actually known what Love was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I actually Love everyone! And I had never known this. Humans are pretty simple, really. They want to love, to be loved, and to pitch in and help one another. That’s about all there is to it. There are only two emotions: Love and fear. All of the others are just shades and tints of these two. What we call ‘hate’ is just one of the flavors of fear.
This was my rather long winded reply to a redbubble forum post here-...
This was my rather long winded reply to a redbubble forum post here / So was I full of it or on the money? / Don’t forget I’m a writer – besides couldn’t think of a picture that would express these thousand words :o) / Hope you have a coffee on hand :o) ~~~~~~ * ~~~~ You mean if I write long enough I get to eat ?? Off to write now … too busy to write here …. / no wait! / If I write here will I get to eat sooner ? Now someone said / “Great art is done by people who are dead that’s what makes it great! ” / Bloody hell! If I could get a bloke to paint something when he’s dead I’d think it pretty good too!!! ... Would that help me eat ? The consensus appears to be that when you die you will automatically be great artists – / W R O N G !!!! / So many people who can do wonderful creative art will die with their work not getting any further than the family home! / What makes art great is the passion of the artist matching the passion of the audience. / What then makes that art popular to the “Classic” standard is someone taking that art and getting it seen en mass! [to get lots of passionate audience connection] / What makes art valuable is the uniqueness of it … especially if it is well liked and to a lesser degree skillful! Critique is only useful for technical aspects. Who is anyone to say you did that wrong? It is art it is the expression of your imagination your philosophy your soul! It is how you view the world you live in. That is the whole point of art – to show a reality that may be thought of but could be or not be easily projected. Someone mentioned “the Scream” and other great yet seemingly childish works of modern art. The whole meaning of that art style was protest against the horrors of WW1 – the shock of the returning wounded the catastrophic effects of the war on all of society. And the artists were voicing the general populas’ ideas that war is wrong – which was not what the wealthy wanted. Very typical of any period of time throughout History – some even say that politicians define/ed the bible! History was recorded by artists and archived by politicians. It is the cross reference of several cultural records that determines the facts / “If a tree fell in the woods and no one witnessed it – did it make a sound?” What was kept for historical reference is what the politics of the day wanted to be known for…. it did not necessarily truely reflect the entire reality of the time. Only this last century – with the instant truth of cameras and the free press and especially satellite TV – has the reality of the day been recorded accurately and even then the outcome can be edited and tampered with and in some cases hidden or destroyed. And in the education department it is notorious for cutbacks to be aimed at the arts first! That is a scandal that I can never find a justification for. Especially when Sport is favoured so strongly over it. / Yes alright it is important to be fit and healthy but true health comes from inner peace and that is achieved through creative expression and validation! When people stressed out due to competition [and face it living is just one huge competition – wangling money to meet all the demands vs the ability to work enough to make said money !!] the first thing the therapists do is ask what hobbies you enjoy; and if there is none in your life they strongly recommend you take up one! / Long term unemployed people can be reassigned work far better if they are encouraged to do a course of creative manual labour – such as furniture restoration. It will invigorate the right endorphines (?) in their mind and give them a sense of completion and validation. That is because without a creative hobby your inner being will not be expressed and your sense of self not validated! – the two main root causes of depression. I would rather see the money go into the education arts programs – language culture appreciation & expression – in equal doses as buying more art. Yes bring good art to the country and promote good art of the country but also teach the people the value of these to their own existence. Everyone else wanted to justify the money being spent or not being spent on art when they have no idea what art the gallery is actually thinking of buying! I like the idea of a giant Redbubble art wigit to show what is being done and posted moment by moment [would also need a bank of smaller screens for viewers to check for longer … perhaps jot down our contacts and purchase something too] This would indeed show the truest art happening NOW and give the strongest feel for what art styles the population does value. / I suggest RB pitch that to someone … pitched right we would be the innovators of the world of art! Art to me is living culture recorded for all to see / Not all of us can do it not all of those who can can do it well !! But remember … / “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and perhaps we should remember the “Blue Poles” and “Yellow Peril” pieces that our “experts” wasted millions on in the past. / What is the government smoke screening this time ??? / What do they really want the money for? [10% actually spent on the art piece and the rest quietly used somewhere else] Now that was my soap box rant for sure! / Keep Happy !!! :o) {packing up soap box & megaphone now … oooh someone put coins in my megaphone bag :o) thank you !!! Now perhaps I can eat YAY!!! :o) }
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s lon…
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!” It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done … It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. Copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
Not new to me, because I actually wrote it a few years ago, but it is new to being published: Reggie The Evil Milkshake: Volume 1. It is…
Not new to me, because I actually wrote it a few years ago, but it is new to being published: Reggie The Evil Milkshake: Volume 1. It is published, as of today, with Lulu.com, in full colour glory. Shortly, I shall attempt to get it camera ready for grayscale glory, as well, for the full colour glory happens to be very expensive, I must say! As to why I am submitting this to the groups I am: even though this journal is not, in and of itself vibrant and colourful, it is about a new book that certainly is; it is also philosophical in nature, but in a much more fun way than Plato generally got up to; it’s a novel novel, a short one though;; and, yes indeedy, it says a lot about my personality and has a self portrait of me right on the back of it. Please take a look: Reggie The Evil Milkshake : (provided I did the link at all right, this time!)
I found an interesting work of art at an Ann Arbor yard sale. Took me two years to figure out the creator of that pencil and ink piece: ...
I found an interesting work of art at an Ann Arbor yard sale. Took me two years to figure out the creator of that pencil and ink piece: Maude McVeigh Hutchins (4 Mai 46). Maude Hutchins made her name as an artist during the 20s, 30s, & 40s. Around 1950, Maude Hutchins began a successful career as a novelist. Her themes generally regarded sexual awakening. Maude Hutchins died in 1992 aged 102. Her novels are enjoying resurgent popularity. Before 1948, Maude Hutchins had been married to lawyer Robert Maynard Hutchins for 27 years. At age 30, in 1929, Robert M. Hutchins became the youngest president ever (still) of a major American university: U of Chicago. R.M. Hutchins remained in that capacity for 21 years before becoming the director of the Ford Foundation. He initiated educational reforms, many adopted by other institutions. Hutchins (who probably could have been president) was a pacifist who ironically became the principle contractor ($400 millions worth) in the creation of the first atomic bombs; he was the only civilian outside the Pentagon that officially knew about the Manhattan Project. You may recall that the first sustained chain reaction (Enrico Fermi 1942) was initiated under the abandoned U of C football stadium. Hutchins’ U of C contracts also included operation of the Oak Ridge, TN plutonium factory (WWII). After Hiroshima, Hutchins spent the remainder of his life opposing the arms race (died 1977). My fascination with Hutchins springs from his secular philosophical view of morality. From the time of his appointment as the Dean of the Yale Law School onward (mid 20s), he grappled with society’s need for moral education. Hutchins’ pointed out that the scientific method does not give us the knowledge or wisdom for how to manage science; it is something only a moral education can achieve. Nearly all of his efforts to inculcate morality into academics (outside theological schools), and later into corporate thinking, failed. I find Hutchins philosophical view interesting because I understand that a person’s moral view is a much higher standard than one’s minimum legal responsibility; and I can see that living merely to a minimum legal responsibility will not sustain the fabric of society— yet it is the trend. The problem for morality is that it is like both gravity and the very essence of life: we all know that it exists, but none have yet quantified it scientifically.
I hope you will love this cute pic as much I do! :D D…
I hope you will love this cute pic as much I do! :D Do allow me to share my enthusiasm here :D This is Macabrecat’s cat,Bonnie,lying on the floor with the Dream Odyssey card which she purchased recently :D Thank you once again,Macabrecat! 2 of Ophelia’s portraits were also featured recently,thank you Bits and Pieces and Fine Arts :D Celebration Of life at Bits And Pieces Group. I am also a featured member of the group for this week.Thank you moderators!! ^ _ ^ I am also happy that Celebration Of Life” mousepad received a TBA today at Zazzle ,my heart also had a mini celebration! :D Vision Of Green at Fine Arts Group: Thank you so much for all who had commented and faved these pieces, I really appreciate that! :D I will be on a short break for 4 days and I may not have ready access to the internet. Will miss viewing and commenting your works the next 4 days!!:D
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Are you worried about losing your Very close friend/ Love Partner or Soul Mate ? / Do not have trust each other ? / Issues…...Issues… ...
Are you worried about losing your Very close friend/ Love Partner or Soul Mate ? / Do not have trust each other ? / Issues…...Issues… No Love… / You have been cheated over and over by the person in your life and still looking for the “ Soul Mate” to settle down. If you think you can not find your “ Soul mate” and feel helpless and lost hope of getting one, you will get one “ Soul Mate “ NOW ! Just read on please. Thanks for your Smile…..laugh….......You so pretty…... and you are lucky one to find the wisdom in this writing. If you love it … please do pass to your friends and families as they also truly deserve to share this vital information. Sunil is at your service to take all your misries and awaken you as a perfect person and help nurture you for ever. It is my humble service to you no stings attached whatsoever. World is a small family and everyone has mutual dependance. Sometime total strangers are more helpful then you know people for ever day in day out. God / Nature have asked me to pass on few things to you…+”Yes ….You” + Why so lonely and aloof today. 1. You are a God /Goddess! / 2. Your ultimate goal is to live the life of God/Goddess abundance of wisdom and wealth, happiness, Love, Romance on one hand compassion, support to under-priviledged, Now! / 3. Check my Painting “Imagine now! Think Heavenly.. It exactly pinpoints the true vitues and important values, you have to focus now. / 4. Live the life of a God/ Goddess now by developing unconditional Love, Romance, Respect within yourself which will provide you Peace, Energy, Happiness and frequent Divine connection at least once in the morning and one in the afternoon. / 5. It is required to focus on those values 24×7 by visualisation so that it reaches your subconscious and auto pilot you for ever. You need to display close to your bed and your work place table for quick reminder. / 6. If you have a love partner ask them if they like those values and would like to develop further with you as a soul mate. If yes , give them a gift of another set of paintings. / 7. Make sure you have loving heart donate some money to needy ones.. / 8. Learn to humble and use kind words… no swearing …..Just say I love you… / 9. Learn to awaken first your “Inner Child” who resides in your heart and you never bother to talk to it . Today is good start and welcome your inner child as a equal partner and start loving and respecting it. Further, also trust and love your other partner just like you love yourself. / 10. Affirm your love to them for ever no conditions as a great friend / 11. You will attract one of your friend as your soul mate. / 12. Still assure your soul mate that you will be loving & forgiving to them as no one is perfect. But be honest with each other in general… But yes … there are some secrets which you may decide not to share even with your soul mate if it will harm your relationship. / 13. Trust your soul mate and give them some private space and respect it. / 14. Surrender to God / Nature and ask for direction and support or a true friend ..like on red bubble- Sunil Sharma any time. / 15. No Alcohol or red meat .. The animal when dies secrets very harmful enzymes and Harmones under fear of their life…. so that infected animal blood when pumped by your heart goes to your mind it creates animal tendencies such as it creates Rage, Anger, Lust, Aggression and person slowly start behaving like animals and loses divine love , Respect, Romance & Respect . More drunken people make bad judgement as it undermines the brains proper functioning apart from long term addiction and negative force eg. Satanic influnce which will tear your Loving relationship apart and drift in to the darkness. So the innocent partners undergo relationship problems and can not have real soul mate who loves , can be trust worthy, and settle down together to start a loving family. / 16. Life is a journey and treat your solemate as your close friend as well and express how you feel and give them day to day support. / 17. In a nutshell provide a service to your soul mate for being with you in thick and thin of life events / 18. Develop some of the common hobbies or intersts like Sports / Games or doing Yoga together first thing in the morning or in the afternoon. / 19. Please complement and appreciate your Soul Mate each other and have private time every week like, Daily Kiss time, laughing time, mutual massage, hugging and bonding. / 20. Be a kind, generous person and give gratitude and thank the God /Nature for what it has provided so far…Contentment is the greatest virtue… but strive for better. and a grea hope of another day to achieve more and strengthen your relationship.. / 21. Remain disease free for ever by Yoga. Do Yoga – Pranayama (breathing exercises), Hatha Yoga for body flexibility and Meditation for clarity of life purpose on the planet call Earth . / 22. Be happy in every moment in life irrespective of whatever happens and celebrate life with your Soul Mate. Here is a big plan to make each person God and Goddess on this planet Earth NOW! And to make sure that they have a Soul Mate for life in thick and thin of life events and this loving relationship will give great foundation to start a happy loving family which Love , Enjoy, live and support each other as a ideal family in which Dad and Mum and Children live as a true reflection of God , Goddess and lovely Angels on a Heaven on Earth NOW! This message is part of living life like a God /Goddress on Earth NOW ! called “Sunilism” which can be a relevant new contemporary global religion which has relevant instructions for our day today life and glues all the world religions together. All the religions of the world are great and are hundreds of thousand year old and but times have changed, global problems have changed, people are so busy but highly productive these days; they have got no time to read the holy scriptures and needs simple set of divine instructions for living their day to day busy life. “Sunilism” provides an answer, as it incorporate Body, Mind, Spirit/Live and nature integrated approach and is trying to explore those relevant instructions with help of you and all the people in this direction. Need your input so that we have some relevant & concise instruction in our time NOW! The people following “Sunilism” and of course all other sacred religions will be called as “Sunilist”. I do love all the religions and all people of the Earth equally and treat them as God or Goddess, irrespective of their faith or even Atheist are supreme to me but each and every one has universal need of love, Care, Joy and support.
“Can you say tonight in parting with the day thats slipping past / That you helped a single person of the many you have passed ? / Is a si…
“Can you say tonight in parting with the day thats slipping past / That you helped a single person of the many you have passed ? / Is a single one rejoicing over what you did or said ? / Did one whose hopes were fading , now with courage look ahead ? / Did you waste a day or lose it – was it well or poorly spent ? / Did you leave a trail of kindness , or a scar of discontent ? / As you close your eyes in slumber , do you think that god / Would say , You have made the world much better for the life you`ve lived today we should all try thinking about this some / i think
I have been reflecting recently about what I have learned from art teachers. You see I am about to embark on teaching my first student -...
I have been reflecting recently about what I have learned from art teachers. You see I am about to embark on teaching my first student – I am a qualified teacher – but still feel like a student myself. What is it with we Taureans (or we artists?) that we constantly question our legitimacy? Why do I feel a fraud, when I am not? Past life memory? Anyway, I was ruminating on an even that left quite an imprint on me. Back in 2005 when I was having lessons each week and getting better and better at painting buildings (much my teacher’s continual disinterest) I expressed interest in entering this painting in a local art competition that everyone was entering and even offered a section for newbies like me. / / now I LOVE this painting. Even though numerous people have offered to buy it, it hangs proudly on my wall and everyone who visits my home loves it. / so back to my story – I told my teacher I was considering entering this painting in the show, he said, and I quote ‘As long as you don’t expect to win’. / I didn’t enter the show. And the painting (charcoal actually) that won it was an exquisite abstract-y city scene with buildings! I was mystified by his comment and mad at myself for listening. But all these years later I have made the silk purse from that sows ear – I know now that I need to listen to my own inner voice about marketing my work. Sure invite critiques etc about the mechanics of making art, but at the end of the day, I need to stand on my own two feet and make my own decisions – not rely on another (teacher, husband, parent) to carry, baby or hold me back. If it is to be, it is up to me.
This seemed a good day to write about God. / God as I know him and as I don’t. The other day I entered a challenge of goddesses. No…
This seemed a good day to write about God. / God as I know him and as I don’t. The other day I entered a challenge of goddesses. Not that anyone has ever called me a goddess. / No. I was wired at birth, and also plugged in. / But the goddess module went missing and it was never found. It was soon apparent that in its place was the alien module. / I spoke to them and flew with them over our world and others. Surely my father, a N.A.C.A./N.A.S.A. scientist, had agreed / for an alien seed to be planted in my mother. She always said / I was the only one planned(ted) of the four. You see(d)? / Our trip out West, including to Roswell, was to the place / of my (in)seminal birth. Enough about my childhood as human-alien! What about dueling goddesses and God? So I wondered, just for a few seconds (that I might just as easily / have forgotten), is it appropriate for me to enter a goddess / challenge? ...Being a Christian. Being an alien, I thought, why not! And here’s my reasoning; because I’d best get to the point, / before the ethernet routes you around my world to the next. For some, a goddess is real, felt, shared, deep inside the conscious; / more than a symbol. I was a serious student of science and math. / My work in application programming is intensely logical. We probably create our own world within a pre-existing one. / I do believe in absolute Truths, however. / Absolute truths might be true for only a brief period in universal time, or / true in one world for one period of time, but relative to the next, longer or shorter. / The differential exists, because time is a relative measure. What is the truth about God? Did Christ help God create “our” world, as I believe; / or was a god or goddess appointed for this or that? I am logical enough to / admit this: that I could be wrong. Some might say that I don’t “have faith”. / Not true. I’m smart enough to know when I’m beat at the thinking game. / Logical enough to say, “if-then-else” (programming terms). / If I’m wrong, what’s “right”? I believe there is nothing to argue. But arguing is fun. / Especially if you know your argument. The Celts had a goddess for the Black Forest and Danube River, Abnoba, / and apparently a god or goddess for just about anything important. / They knew when something was outside of their ability to grasp it. / And when it was outside of their ability to grasp it, they made a god or goddess for it. That’s how all “religions” are created, isn’t it? The Jewish, followed by the Christians and Muslims, held to the concept of one God. / Was the process so different than the ancient Celts? / Did Celtic gods not give them a promise, too? I pose the question. Because you might have the answer. Christianity is thought by many outsiders to be, at least, a two-God system. But I’m comfortable with my choice. / It squares with my round pegs and triangular ones. / I’ve experienced “miracles” in my life. Miracles are relative, in my world of science and math and logic. / So I’ve experienced relative miracles. / Relative to me. The alien. Not the goddess. If I was a goddess, I wouldn’t need miracles. / And I surely would have found a great, good looking, smart-as-a-whip, / Harvard-educated, old-moneyed god to partner up with by now. / Or he would have found me. Right? So instead, for the challenge, I chose a Celtic goddess who was / worshipped to grant goodness and protect the things I love: -The forests, the parent version of our smaller but glorious woods, / in our currently decimated sub/urban environments. -The little critters who live there, that I find so cute / in their wit and willy ways, / adapting to keep up with their ever-dwindling homestead. -Fine birds of all variety: big hawks and eagles, owls, ravens, / down to the smallest of humming Hummingbirds. -Deer and their tender legged young, with eyes so big and soft, / they swallow you in black velvet. -Frogs and snakes and turtles, for whom speeding is defensive driving. -Rabbits and squirrels, for whom I’ve always hoped to crack the code / of their signal-flag tails. -Big cats, who remind us that eyes are the windows of the soul, / and astound us with their long-term memories of human love and compassion, / when it was there. Ah, yes, I would have liked this Celtic goddess, Abnoba, had I met her. / And If I wasn’t an alien, I would hope that she would be the goddess module implanted in me. God, Christ, alien, goddess, math, logic, intuition, consciousness, conscience; / I say yes. / My world is a mesh. / Abnoba, goddess of The Black Forest and Danube by F.A. Moore The Divine Feminine group is sponsoring the Celtic/Nordic challenge, open for voting now. There are some great contenders. My entry, pictured above, “Abnoba, goddess of The Black Forest and Danube”, a digital dream, realistically doesn’t stand much chance against the hand-drawn ones; I’ve seen the votes so far. / But I think she is beautiful, just the same, / as are the sweet creatures surrounding her, who fear her not. Goddess, alien, or human, I would love to live in that kind of world, / and in some sense, thankfully, I do. Aliens can fly, you know.
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