The image above is a work of art.
It consists of a few fragments that makes up the whole. I may even
add a few more things to it. I would not call myself a “collage artist”
simply because I’m arranging content, forms, and shapes into a composition. I don’t feel like those actions can fully define that title. These kinds of confrontations provoke me to ask myself: do artists
really need specific discipline titles other than just “artist?” I know, for marketing sake
we can’t spread ourselves too thin right….Hmmm, Is yesterday’s
art marketing perception still today’s art marketing reality for artists? When is the last
time that you really thought about HOW you promote your work to
and through yourself? Not to the world, but to YOURSELF first. Are you clear on
that? Can you write that plan out easily and effortlessly? No? Then we
have some work to do. Acquiring that kind of clarity is a
process, and it takes time to cultivate. Ponder this, what if the whole outside world is
really a reflection of the INSIDE of YOU, and all of your your self-definitions and perceptions
project outwardly into “the outside world?” Hmm…. an expansive
thought aye? Today is a good day to plant some seeds. How about,
you simply ARE the artist that you say you are by who you choose to be in the world. So, who are you being, and why? You may have a great
passion for painting or sculpture, but the process that leads you to the
final result has many more steps, actions, and experiences than just
one title can define. I believe that we humans are in a great flux. I feel a
new revolution of the creative self-identity in relationship to the larger world is
slowly getting smaller and smaller. Just like electronic devices are, by
the way, that is a physical example. Do you see a relationship
there? Before the remote control, we had to operate everything
manually, outwardly, then the remote came along and we could
sit in place and operate things through an “intermediary device.”
Now we have remote access, search engines, and of course smart phones. Have you thought
about how that is a reflection of yourself? What is your connection to that? We have technology to help automate things, and we do not even have any idea HOW these
things actually work (the people who create them do) but most
people don’t, we just expect everything work, right? We just want to personalize and participate. I encourage you
to try a few things the next time you approach your next drawing,
painting, sculpture, digital art design, logo design, dance moves,
recipe creation, and any other form of self expression that you place
your artistic self into. DO IT ANOTHER WAY, and do it consciously.
Trace your steps by documenting them (DON’T JUDGE THEM FOR
CRYING OUT LOUD) just allow yourself to try something new,
record the process, and then do it again. Documenting the process will help you
see that you have done something differently. The brain will get a
new message, and it will respond. Your subconscious will also get a new
message and it will also respond. It will bring you new inspirations, ideas, and resources. It will connect “dots” that did not seem to exist before. We are the designers of our lives, and we have to be consciously participating in the process. If we don’t, we are operating on default. This process is different for everyone. It’s a fun
process, but most people are lazy, yes, it’s true. We have the
power to change that. I use the creative process of self-expression to
learn and expand HOW I think and communicate. I document it in
many ways. Computers can make this very easy and efficient for us.
We can make all of this public and mysterious, public and transparent, or keep it private. I recommend going
public transparent because it TELLS the world OUT there (which is really inside
of us) that we are here and we are reaching out, and this is what we
are about. Thrive your ENERGY into what you put out there
and you will connect with a network of like minds. Magically people
(fragments of YOURSELF) will appear with the same interests and
thoughts, or they may present you with an opportunity. We are
responsible for creating the manual of our own lives, that’s part of our
journey for sure.
Link to the original essay here :: http://wp.me/p2SFO-CQ
