Where’s the juice?

Thank you Bela and dear Robert: FINALLY, an answer that helps me out of the loss of “juices”, i.e., a return to BEAUTY….I was contemplating doing just that and thought I’d be trite if I did, but not so. I “see” now that I’m longing to respond to beauty (as I see it) and put aside some of the darker work I’ve tried to do. It’s been a long wait to admit this need and what a relief. Thanks again.

I had just finished a watercolor painting of birch trees and hills and my husband was telling me that it didn’t have a message or a meaning. I explained to him that it was not designed to be a conceptual piece of art but rather a simple statement of the stillness, solitude and beauty of the landscape. Frustrated with his response I went to the computer to check my email and there was your letter………………….Thank you!

I tend to find with both writing and drawing that as soon as something takes a recognisable form people are more comfortable – but immediately search for more meaning. If the work is abstract (especially without a title) they are more detached and don’t seek a “meaning”. Equal value to How, Why, Where, When is all the context a work needs. It stands by itself. Its not looking for anything or anyone else.

To me, visual art is about making beauty out of our human response to the world. We all have a part to play in this world and nature gives us the gift that sparks our particular contribution. We don’t need to intellectualize, just respond to what moves us. I, too, have lots of self-doubts about what I create, but I also know that making art is hard if you are serious, and the best thing to do is just make it every day you possibly can, not waiting for inspiration. I start my days with an hour or so of pure abstraction, sometimes as underpaintings for realistic works, sometimes as pieces I hang in my studio to use later in collage works. This is a form of meditation that gets me to the place where I can paint all day. Sometimes I’m happy with the product, sometimes not, but that’s what gets me back into the studio the next day to try again.

For me, a day of doing nothing painting-related is sometimes the best motivator for the next painting idea. I might sit in my yard or go to a park and just take a minute to observe. I find that when I can relax and take the pressure off to create, the ideas pour in…some good, some not so good, but ideas nevertheless. These ideas then filter into future works. I think that creative people must exercise all the nook and crannies of their “art-brain” to produce work…this could range from re-arranging furniture (design problems) to cooking a gourmet meal (color concept.) Sometimes we artists just think too much and too hard about the outcome…this restricts the idea of “flow” and manifests the dreaded “artist’s block.” Fear and doubt then rear their ugly heads and the work never appears…and that is a shame.

ALL of your work is relevant to your process in becoming an artist.

An Inner Revolution by Adyashanti

The enlightenment I speak of is not simply a realization, not simply the discovery of one’s true nature. This discovery is just the beginning—the point of entry into an inner revolution. Realization does not guarantee this revolution; it simply makes it possible.

What is this inner revolution? To begin with, revolution is not static; it is alive, ongoing, and continuous. It cannot be grasped or made to fit into any conceptual model. Nor is there any path to this inner revolution, for it is neither predictable nor controllable and has a life all its own. This revolution is a breaking away from the old, repetitive, dead structures of thought and perception that humanity finds itself trapped in. Realization of the ultimate reality is a direct and sudden existential awakening to one’s true nature that opens the door to the possibility of an inner revolution. Such a revolution requires an ongoing emptying out of the old structures of consciousness and the birth of a living and fluid intelligence. This intelligence restructures your entire being—body, mind, and perception. This intelligence cuts the mind free of its old structures that are rooted within the totality of human consciousness. If one cannot become free of the old conditioned structures of human consciousness, then one is still in a prison.

Having an awakening to one’s true nature does not necessarily mean that there will be an ongoing revolution in the way one perceives, acts, and responds to life. The moment of awakening shows us what is ultimately true and real as well as revealing a deeper possibility in the way that life can be lived from an undivided and unconditioned state of being. But the moment of awakening does not guarantee this deeper possibility, as many who have experienced spiritual awakening can attest to. Awakening opens a door inside to a deep inner revolution, but in no way guarantees that it will take place. Whether it takes place or not depends on many factors, but none more important and vital than an earnest and unambiguous intention for truth above and beyond all else. This earnest intention toward truth is what all spiritual growth ultimately depends upon, especially when it transcends all personal preferences, agendas, and goals.

This inner revolution is the awakening of an intelligence not born of the mind but of an inner silence of mind, which alone has the ability to uproot all of the old structures of one’s consciousness. Unless these structures are uprooted, there will be no creative thought, action, or response. Unless there is an inner revolution, nothing new and fresh can flower. Only the old, the repetitious, the conditioned will flower in the absence of this revolution. But our potential lies beyond the known, beyond the structures of the past, beyond anything that humanity has established. Our potential is something that can flower only when we are no longer caught within the influence and limitations of the known. Beyond the realm of the mind, beyond the limitations of humanity’s conditioned consciousness, lies that which can be called the sacred. And it is from the sacred that a new and fluid consciousness is born that wipes away the old and brings to life the flowering of a living and undivided expression of being. Such an expression is neither personal nor impersonal, neither spiritual nor worldly, but rather the flow and flowering of existence beyond all notions of self.

So let us understand that reality transcends all of our notions about reality. Reality is neither Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Advaita Vedanta, nor Buddhist. It is neither dualistic nor nondualistic, neither spiritual nor nonspiritual. We should come to know that there is more reality and sacredness in a blade of grass than in all of our thoughts and ideas about reality. When we perceive from an undivided consciousness, we will find the sacred in every expression of life. We will find it in our teacup, in the fall breeze, in the brushing of our teeth, in each and every moment of living and dying. Therefore we must leave the entire collection of conditioned thought behind and let ourselves be led by the inner thread of silence into the unknown, beyond where all paths end, to that place where we go innocently or not at all—not once but continually.

One must be willing to stand alone—in the unknown, with no reference to the known or the past or any of one’s conditioning. One must stand where no one has stood before in complete nakedness, innocence, and humility. One must stand in that dark light, in that groundless embrace, unwavering and true to the reality beyond all self—not just for a moment, but forever without end. For then that which is sacred, undivided, and whole is born within consciousness and begins to express itself.

Searching for truth in life or art is very difficult. Most of us hold to an open-minded concept of what life is or may become. Seeking this tricky idea called truth is likewise tough in art.. The painters who narrow their personal goals and determine to spend time on verisimilitude, capturing light color, or great drawing for example, benefit from a smaller field. But they also benefit from a more precise target.

Artists who desire freedom from restrictions suffer from the very volume of possibilities. Most holding to this attitude will tell you this freedom is precious to them. I have watched for decades as this very thing they cherish caused them great anguish.

As a pastel artist residing in North Carolina, I always enjoy your articles. Some get a little too philosophical for me, but I guess I am one of those “shallow” artists that paint without a lot of deep thought in mind – I just paint what I want to enjoy – they are not all beautiful paintings, but what my eye enjoys. I keep saying I am going to have a show and name it “Being an Artist in Spite of a Happy Childhood.”

Years ago I heard a talk given by a man who had been a creative director for Hallmark Cards. There were a stable of artists there who were expected to produce and at times the pace could be grueling. He said that one day he and his boss were walking by the artists work room. They looked in the window on the door and all the artists were sitting around chatting, reading trade magazines and drinking coffee. His boss was furious and wanted him to go in and tell them all to get back to work. His reply was this; You can’t keep the cows hooked up to the milking machine 24 hours a day. You have to let them graze or they won’t give you any milk. The artists in that room were “grazing”. I never have forgotten this and when I begin to feel bunched up and that the work isn’t flowing. I stop, have a cup of coffee, read a magazine, have a conversation with a friend, go for a walk, whatever I need to do to get some fuel back in the tank. You never know where inspiration will come from, but I rarely find it staring at a blank canvas.

Contrary to Bela, the act of painting itself is my best way to quiet down and get to work. I think that possibly Bela’s problem relates to a more general problem in the art world today. The problem as I see it is that there is going on an attempt, in my view unadvisable, to bridge the language of words and the language of vision. We spend too much time making and viewing art with the idea that it can give us direct vebalizable advice on how to deal with the world.

I don’t think that in the end this will work. Verbal communication and visual communication do not translate directly into one another. The use of art to communicate propoganda, politics, religion, and the sale of products or verbal ideas has muddled our minds. I think the artists who make films, videos, performances, so called conceptual art, and the like are making a brave attempt to help us bridge the gap, but in the process they may be adding to the confusion.

My idea is that when I paint, I am trying to visually stop time for myself and the viewer based on a visual experience. This may become a spiritual sort of experience, but the lesson is in the opening of the eyes rather than in directly trying to save the whales or any other verbal message. Possibly and hopefully this work may contribute to a moral improvement, but it is not doing so as a bill board. It is an attempt for me and possibly some viewers to increase our ability to see meaningfully.

We need some help in seeing where we are, but I think it comes from using our right brain rather than attacking our right brain with our left.

A useful exercise for an artist who is thinking too much might be to put up a blank canvas and decide to go into it with no preconceived idea other than to paint something entirely different than he or she has recently or ever done.

Tricia, I’ve often thought that if a work of art has a message or a meaning that can be expressed succinctly in words, then one would be better off just expressing the meaning or message in words, without the art, which might well be an unnecessary appendage at that point. Art, well done, does plenty good without a dymo label worth of verbiage attached to it.

Belle.

I think you said what I meant in a lot fewer words.

A work of art doesn’t necessarily have to have any message. It can be a commemoration of an individual in a portrait, it can be a visual record of a place or event. It can be a study of light, color, or form. It can be a two (or three) dimensional protest of whatever, the artist’s imagination, or simply a thing of beauty for its own sake.

When I want commentary, opinion, or message, I write. I prefer the clarity of words. It’s hard enough trying to penetrate a viewer’s (or reader’s) consciousness. They see through their personal lens regardless of an artist’s intent.

Robert, you expressed some of the same thoughts I have had. I have not painted anything in about two years, and somehow don’t have enough inspiration to do so. Since it was simply a hobby, and I was not dependent upon it for a living, I excuse myself from feeling guilty. The fact is that my husband was down at that time and died soon after, leaving me with little need to do anything important or even normal. I still go to various functions, including art meetings where I enjoy watching artists do demonstrations. I just don’t feel the “drive” to do things like I did before. Perhaps hearing my experience will help you see that you do have a need and a drive!

I am an artist stricken with Ovarian Cancer. I am making progress the doc says. I found it difficult to focus with all the chemo and thoughts of survival and fight in me. How can I get back to what I know is healing for me, making art? Has there been anyone out there who knows some of these answers. How can I regain focus?

I can’t believe that you didn’t reference “intuition” in your response to Bela. When all else fails listen to your intuition. I’m sure I recall you saying this in a previous letter or letters and it’s good advice, even, as you conclude, “it doesn’t always lead to the answer you want to hear”.

Thanks for your insightful and comforting information. I’ve been painting for 4 years now, and I’m so frustrated. I’ve sold a few pieces, but just can’t seem to reach the level that I know I can achieve. I’m taking lessons from a fine artist, but I’m still not reaching the level I want. When I read your messages they give me hope, because you seem to touch a part of what I need to hear.

The only real voyage consists not in seeking new landscapes… but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust

The mind is comfortable in a landscaped park because it has been planned through thought; it has not grown organically. There is an order here that the mind can understand. In the forest, there is an incomprehensible order that to the mind looks like chaos. It is beyond the mental categories of god and bad. You cannot understand it through thought, but you can sense it when you let go of thought, become still and alert, and don’t try to understand or explain. Only then can you be aware of he sacredness of the forest. As soon as you sense that hidden harmony, that sacredness, you realise you are not separate from it, and when you realise that, you become a conscious participant in it. In this way, nature can help you become realigned with the wholeness of life. -Eckhart Tolle

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the Eyes of others only a Green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all Ridicule and Deformity and Some Scarce see Nature at all. But to the Eyes of the Man of Imagination itself. As a man is, So he Sees. As the eye is formed, such are its Powers. -William Blake

Ouch! Squeezing the juices sounds absolutely painful. My suggestion to Bela would be to take a vacation away from the studio. It’s time to replenish the creative well! Ideas and inspiration don’t just happen in the studio. Artwork is wonderful for evoking a feeling or memory of a time and place, but we do need to step outside, literally. Give yourself permission to smell ocean air, watch alpen glow over trail side coffee or road trip in search of the best small town festival. Take photos, keep a travel journal, talk to strangers and collect postcards for two weeks minimum. Then head back into the studio to see if there is “juice.”

It’s interesting to me that you raised the question of how we as artists can bring attention to a cause. I agree with your statement about painting the beauty of the whale in order to focus attention on it’s needs. I have long believed that if we want to effect a change, it must be in a positive manner.

In art beauty is what invites the viewer into the painting. From there on it’s all about ones perceptions and consequent actions. Conversely, ugliness may cause one to look. But by virtue of the caused discomfort one is given permission to dismiss the art and the cause (if only terrorists could grasp this concept!).

I am currently working on an abstract series expressing the beauty of the ocean from the point of view of sea life. Or a scuba diver, or one snorkeling. My intent is to inspire humans to protect and preserve our most precious resource – our oceans.