Henry David Thoreau
Do what you love. Know your own bone; knaw at it, bury it, unearth it and knaw it still.
Thoreau
i would not claim that i am intelligent any longer
once upon a time in my dream of life's important points
i did lay claim to a certain form of intelligence
now as I grow older and wiser i realize how little i actually know
knowledge is so flexible, so interchangeable so static
it is a little different for everyone, everywhere
since we are coming from our circumstances and our thoughts
we are bound up with our goals and our education or lack of it
we are all a myriad of kinds of knowledge wrapped up in a human form
interpersonal knowledge is something we gain as we spend time
on this Earth, alone and together we develop and process
artists must spend ample time alone, we need solitude as much
to understand our art as to know why we produce it and what it is
what we will produce next often comes from what we are learning
in time spent without the distracting nature of the modern lifestyle
as artists we cannot come to understand ourselves and what it is that pushes through
our openness and vulnerability to the creative process, if the phone is always on
and someone wants a ride, and there is someone at the door who would like
a little piece of your time, or to borrow this or that, or to drone on and on over their problems
our problems arise from allowing all these simple distractions to stop us from artistic development
if you have artistic friends or if you are an artist, you will understand the value of being alone
of being quiet, of quieting everything sometimes, of tuning in, and turning off all distracting elements
if you feel you are an artist AND and an extrovert as well, you will have some trouble stopping
people from blocking you in your artistic endeavors, because you love human personality
if you enjoy human exchanges and thrive on relating to others, that is well and good
but we must remember to allow solitude to sweep in again and take hold to return to our process
there are kind ways to let people know you need time off to yourself without distractions
most who know artists will understand and not be inclined to come unannounced to visit
nor will they take great offense if they understand that your art is very important to you
just letting people know that you have hermit like tendencies at times won't always work out
you have to let them know the hours that you are available and those you are working
it isn't as if you don't have a "real job" when you are creating art, art is as valid as any other work
if you are a musician, a dancer, a writer, a painter, a woodworker, a poet, an actor or comedian
if you are a printmaker, or quilter, if you make pottery or baskets, or hats and dresses
you need time alone to discover what your next project will be and to work on current projects
take time for this process so that you may infuse quality and care while you create
sometimes it helps to do the equivalent of hanging a do not disturb sign on the doorknob
if that means you are the kind who won't answer many phone calls, so be it
if you answer the most important ones, you are still living responsibly...yet if you answer every call
as a touchstone to the world, that in itself may be considered a form of irresponsibility
if your friends and family respect you and are mature they will leave you with ample time to create
if they are mean-hearted or abusive or just not too clever, they make make it hard to do your art
that is why many artists of olden times had to go off to studios, or sit in fields on location to be able to
escape from the maddening ways of those who were too selfish? or determined to have your time to themselves...to let us spend time alone
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