I'm taking a new ceramics class; the teacher used to be a Jungian analyst and is now a sculptor. She was saying something utterly marvelous and very Zen, about not doing things that are too forced but keeping it loose, allowing your subconscious to be directing the work more. She was telling a story about one of her own pieces, how she'd undertaken some tedious drawing and it'd become all too contrived, and how it helped so much when the thing collapsed and found its soul.
And now it seems to me that there, with Jung and Freud too I guess, (I can't keep them straight) that there is yet another way of describing this, life, how things work inside us, or how they seem to from what we see... the unconscious is just the Unmanifest, the big Ocean, and all this we see, all waves and ripples and what-have-you. It was really exciting, as she was talking, because she said a fair amount before using the word "unconscious" and so I was completely following without getting hung up on a word.
It's difficult for me to do sculpture in a loose way, because craftsmanship is so important to me. Not to say that it can't be done, but I've got to learn to live with the intermediate messiness. I've practiced and practiced and learned to draw in a loose way, very relaxed, but sculpture is another matter entirely; perhaps I'll learn. Or I'll keep on making tumblers and things and drawing on them. Before the job switch, it was easy to dream onto a cup; now that I'm happier with life, I've little need to wish myself anyplace else, so finding a place for art to come from is more difficult.
Monday I made a little house with "rock star" stamped into it, to commemorate a very good trip downtown, doing permit stuff. Perhaps it'll just be lots of little pieces, comments on whatever's going on in my life at that moment; the real happenings, rather than the imaginary destinations.
I've been writing a lot, lately, about connection, about connecting with other people. Perhaps the details will fade from my mind over time and the poems will be fossils to us all; maybe I'll remember the unrecorded details and leave to everyone else the mystery. Does it matter?
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9 comments:
Yes, it matters! And this is what I meant about there is 'work' to do, (I said that awhile back, you said 'what work?'), the 'work' is the having a place to 'come from' in your 'inspiration', something that you can get fired up about and excited about, losing your controls, and becoming your 'unconscious' self. ART!
I really enjoyed this post. You are to be congratulated for 'following' the lecture so well, you 'know' unconsciously what you need. ART!
There is unconsciousness and there is subconsciousness. Jung was interested in the subconscious and how it would meld with the conscious during Zen. He wrote a foreward to one of my Zen books and it was interesting and "heavy" reading. People don't write like that any more. I think a lot of what you are talking about in this piece is subconsciousness. A lot of creativity and inspiration comes from it. I've always thought of unconsciousness as the opposite of wakefulness or alertness. Tolle and others define it in those terms and more. Just my opinion. :) Nothing really matters, but the quality of your Life and the quality of your interaction with others. Anything else is "cake".
Julie:
Jung wrote about, among other things, SYNCHRONICITY, which is what we have, because I've just been reading some Jungian stuff and feeling a need to find out more... This is so weird; I'm deeply amused and unsettled.
Jim; don't you see? everything I could ever want or be, I already have, and am. It's quite that simple.
John; informative, thoughtful, and clear. Thank you!
Andrew, dear twin. :)
I don't believe in the Freud-theories, but I do believe in psycho-analyse.
I study Art Sciences myself, at the university of Ghent but I do not want to tell you what art is or where it comes from, simply due to the fact that there is nothing as subjective as art. For example: What's so special about the Mona Lisa? Think away the hype and what do you get? A simple picture of a woman as there exist thousands. But still, so many people travel to the Louvre just to have a look at it. Or Jackson Pollock and his Autumn Rhytm or any other work of him. Yet, the same story...
Art is a way of expressing what goes beyond words. Imagine music as art (I don't talk about pop-music from now, but real music). You've even written it: music as means of expressing the unsayable. I think it's the same with art. There exists a moment in each's life where words just are not enough to say what you want to say and there is where art roles in. Try to read something of David Hume's: Art as Experience, I think you'll be pleasantly amazed. :)
Hi Bert, Thanks for such a nice comment!
The title question, like most of my questions was... well, not meant to be rhetorical, I guess, but I don't really care what the answer is, and know and don't know at once. One purpose of art is definitely self-expression, or maybe all art is self-expression but the level of deliberation varies. Just a passing thought.
David Hume? The philosopher? I read him in philosophy classes, and will be curious to re-read those selections and check out your suggestion.
Emptiness. Fullness comes from emptiness, and moves towards emptiness. Be empty about the strict pictures/intentions you have for your art, and Isness will direct what needs to be into the space you create.
Yep, the philosopher :)
I'm sure it's your kind of thing!
Jon; good. Now you do it!
Bert; I bet I'll like it!
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