Thursday, November 20, 2008
Creativity and Disease Hughes(9)
I thought that this was a good reading. This talked about creativity and disease and their linkage. Whether it be mind or physical there is something that can be offered creatively when in a aleterd state due to sickness. Most of our creative geniuses known have some kind of illness especially mental. We all have some kind of illness. "In fact, inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself". pg.119 . Sometimes it takes inner ills to bring the best out of us. We sometimes work better in pain. Just like the movie Salma Hayek starred in. "Frida"
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Week 12 - The Eleventh Blog
As I read through this week's blogs I was struck by Tyler's phrase, "bumbling human language." It is bumbling, isn't it. The reason we're always striving to find exactly the right word when we speak or write, the reason that writers struggle for years sometimes in trying to communicate a thought (a creative thought?) or image (a creative image?). The reason that, for those skillful enough, painting or drawing is often the preferred medium for communicating emotion. But symbols, too, have a way of being misinterpreted by the audience. Much of what we deem as ART, though, are attempts at communication through various mediums; a communication prompted by a creative force. But in analysing our bumbling language, we often receive some intriguing insights into that force. The word "inspiration" for example, literally means "the act of breathing in or inhaling." (Breathing in what, we may ask?). "Ecstasy," a word often used to describe a feeling of accomplishment (and yes, an ASC) comes from a Latin root meaning "to stand to the side." Csikszentmihalyi notes that sports arenas, theatres, and temples from all cultures throughout the ages have functioned as ways "to stand to the side" of everyday routines, everyday reality.
Other species do not have the same level of communication mediums as human beings do. Most other species, though, (at least the ones I can think of) don't seem to create for ecsatsy or for entertainment, but create purely for survival. Even a playful puppy is practicing some sort of survival skill. But other species, unlike the human species, are not attempting to be better than their counterparts. A dog might be trained to do what pleases his owner, but he will not behave in a way to try to make himself better than another dog. Human beings spend a lot of time attemping to "be better."
Perhaps not succeeding in "being better" is one of the major roots of sadness. Josh discusses his sadness when attempting to be the perfect - fill-in -the-blank. But perhaps it's not perfection we strive for, just "betterness." Is that what creativity boils down to? An attempt at bettering ourselves or our society? Has that become the main function of language? Of art? Questions, not statements, but something to ponder.
Other species do not have the same level of communication mediums as human beings do. Most other species, though, (at least the ones I can think of) don't seem to create for ecsatsy or for entertainment, but create purely for survival. Even a playful puppy is practicing some sort of survival skill. But other species, unlike the human species, are not attempting to be better than their counterparts. A dog might be trained to do what pleases his owner, but he will not behave in a way to try to make himself better than another dog. Human beings spend a lot of time attemping to "be better."
Perhaps not succeeding in "being better" is one of the major roots of sadness. Josh discusses his sadness when attempting to be the perfect - fill-in -the-blank. But perhaps it's not perfection we strive for, just "betterness." Is that what creativity boils down to? An attempt at bettering ourselves or our society? Has that become the main function of language? Of art? Questions, not statements, but something to ponder.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
If we hadn't developed language, we wouldn't be reading these books........
The concept of language is one I really never gave much thought. I take it for granted that language exists, and just kind of assume it always has. Sure, language has evolved. If you're tried to read Shakespeare or Milton you realize how differently we structure the English language nowadays, and how we've invented a myriad of new words. I never really thought about how much of an impact language has had on our civilization. Without the spoken word, and more importantly the written word, "civilization" would likely have remained fairly stagnant. It would be very difficult to advance without knowing the past, so we can avoid making the same mistakes that have already been made. With language, we are able to pass on our knowledge to the next generation so they can learn from our mistakes, and take what we've learned and build upon it. Pearce states that "Language plays the dominant role in the shaping of our world view and world-to-view.....language is far more than communication" (135). Language is something uniquely human. Animals do not use symbols to communicate like humans do. This use of symbols for expression allows us to be creative. At the same time, however, this can be limiting. Pearce quotes Langer who states, "The activity of imaging reality is the center of experience.....The average man, though, picks up his symbols for imagingin from 'those' that know". Pearce goes on to say "He may never analytically understand the workings of the various disciplines that shape his time.......He does not contemplate serious matters often" (138). Man receives his power to shape the world from what he's been taught by those that went before, yet at the same time is limited by that same knowledge. Some of the "good stuff" may be left out, glossed over or miscontsrued. Man's curiosity isn't piqued and he just falls in line with what society dictates.
I think that the other piece in the Pearce chapters that was interesting was the idea that our God is really an outward projection of an inner state. On page 141 he references Jung's thoughts on God: "Jung considered the God-image a complex of ideas..........as something 'out there' and absolutely-other when it is really an inward condition that is unconscious". He also quotes Jung as saying that the "weight of history is unbearable without the idea of God." I don't buy into the idea that God is simply a creation of man to help us deal with our day to day life, but it's an interesting thought.
Lastly, my favorite quote: "The neurotic is the 'artist manque', the creative who cannot transmute his or her conflicts into art." That's me!!!!
I think that the other piece in the Pearce chapters that was interesting was the idea that our God is really an outward projection of an inner state. On page 141 he references Jung's thoughts on God: "Jung considered the God-image a complex of ideas..........as something 'out there' and absolutely-other when it is really an inward condition that is unconscious". He also quotes Jung as saying that the "weight of history is unbearable without the idea of God." I don't buy into the idea that God is simply a creation of man to help us deal with our day to day life, but it's an interesting thought.
Lastly, my favorite quote: "The neurotic is the 'artist manque', the creative who cannot transmute his or her conflicts into art." That's me!!!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Week 12 Blogs
I am sorry for the short length of my blog this week. I am in the midst of moving into a new house and am trying to get this done...
The readings this week were interesting. I like that most people are creative on a daily basis. The AHA! factor is cool...the phenomenon of inspiration...Under Imagination and Fantasy the American poet Wallace Stevens says Imagination is man's power over nature. Art as religion is facinating...it is true that icons, symbols, and idols are the most powerful.
Alice in wonderland being an example of the world from a childs point of view is interesting... i thought that story/movie had a lot of drug inuendos...which isn't good for kids..u know?
I like the "pooh cycle" not just the name (it's not another name for digestion)
The readings this week were interesting. I like that most people are creative on a daily basis. The AHA! factor is cool...the phenomenon of inspiration...Under Imagination and Fantasy the American poet Wallace Stevens says Imagination is man's power over nature. Art as religion is facinating...it is true that icons, symbols, and idols are the most powerful.
Alice in wonderland being an example of the world from a childs point of view is interesting... i thought that story/movie had a lot of drug inuendos...which isn't good for kids..u know?
I like the "pooh cycle" not just the name (it's not another name for digestion)
"People Call Me A Mirror. And If A Mirror Looks Into A Mirror What Does It See?"
Phewww... lots of reading. Usually the connections in the readings jump out at me but this time it required a bit more thought. In the Pearce chapters, he is again just regurgitating everything he has said before. Yes dude we get it. We have the power to "crack" the "cosmic egg". However in this chapter he starts to talk about how we as humans belittle ourselves by comparing us to the apes which we perhaps may have come from. I think he is saying that we are not related to them because we are on a completely different plane of existence. It's almost as if we have this ability to advance, or "crack" the "egg", but we continue to look into the past. This is where I connected the Hughes reading - Pearce's Eureka! to Hughes' Aha! We all have the ability to dive into our mind's worlds and we all have our own creative processes. Whatever it is, this is the way to a higher understanding. This is the way to connect on a deeper level with our fellow humans. Not through our bumbling human language, but through our senses and our born abilities. Pearce talks about losing these born abilities as we continue through society while Hughes shows us how people have made names for themselves writing and developing ideas based off of children's experiences. Society puts all of these limitations on us and we have the ability to ignore them - to bring back some of Huxley's ideas, we must turn down that reducing valve and let EVERYTHING in no matter how lovely or gruesome it may seem. These are all factors that we can take into account in order to produce something that will help us enter a new age of wisdom and a new paradigm. Unfortunately it seems as if those in power know this already and use it to their advantage.
Society is cutting off my circulation...
In talking about the creative process I like how Hughes touches on the idea of a muse. We have covered how drugs and other mediums have allowed creative’s to reach altered states but not on the fact that certain instances and objects can evoke inspiration in these people. Hughes states “the significance of the apparently trivial material offered in the original impulse lies in the disproportionate excitement these half-visions evoke in the creative, and in their power to open the mind inward.” A muse is therefore the catalyst and doesn’t rely on a medium to achieve these creative responses. I love how heavily this relates to the incubation of an idea, and how certain muses may plant a seed in a person, only to allow for internal growth until the idea can come to fruition. Different muses can act as different pieces to the puzzle and allow a creative person to gather the elements necessary for an idea.
When talking about society’s role in creativity, Hughes talks about the irrelevance of social value. “The mystery of creativity is this gap between the medium and the message. If the medium counts for as much as the message, if the process is as important as the product, then the idea that social value defines creativity must be modified.” This is interesting in that something seems to be only valid if socially accepted, which is true to some extent, however, this relies on the weight placed on these validations. Many people’s work is only found creative after they die; however, it was still creative when they were alive (only it went unnoticed.) Therefore, creativity is not so much about social validation as it is about society’s desire to validate. There is a sense of empowerment derived from such an act, which has nothing to do with the work and everything to do with a need for control over what is “socially acceptable.”
Regarding the idea of children, I found it funny that we can define something as “a child’s mind.” We were all children and realistically could keep our “child’s mind” indefinitely if society did not have such a strong say in the matter. Hughes states “eventually his willingness for self-modification, necessary to win rapport with his world, is strong than his desire for autonomy.” If anyone has seen the movie “Nell”, you can get an idea of what it would be like to grow up away from the societal mindset. The character had no guises, no doctrines to follow, and no desire to assimilate to the outside world. She was a completely happy in the simplicity of her world and interpreted it on her own terms.
As Pearce states “Life then becomes an integrated process of interdependent functions. Much of our problem is in a failure to recognize the unique roles of the different functions.” With so much logic and reason in play, we begin to lose meaning by constantly marginalizing ourselves. Nothing can be unique and the standardization of our mind leaves us robotic. We begin to “miss the capacity and meaning of the mind.”
When talking about society’s role in creativity, Hughes talks about the irrelevance of social value. “The mystery of creativity is this gap between the medium and the message. If the medium counts for as much as the message, if the process is as important as the product, then the idea that social value defines creativity must be modified.” This is interesting in that something seems to be only valid if socially accepted, which is true to some extent, however, this relies on the weight placed on these validations. Many people’s work is only found creative after they die; however, it was still creative when they were alive (only it went unnoticed.) Therefore, creativity is not so much about social validation as it is about society’s desire to validate. There is a sense of empowerment derived from such an act, which has nothing to do with the work and everything to do with a need for control over what is “socially acceptable.”
Regarding the idea of children, I found it funny that we can define something as “a child’s mind.” We were all children and realistically could keep our “child’s mind” indefinitely if society did not have such a strong say in the matter. Hughes states “eventually his willingness for self-modification, necessary to win rapport with his world, is strong than his desire for autonomy.” If anyone has seen the movie “Nell”, you can get an idea of what it would be like to grow up away from the societal mindset. The character had no guises, no doctrines to follow, and no desire to assimilate to the outside world. She was a completely happy in the simplicity of her world and interpreted it on her own terms.
As Pearce states “Life then becomes an integrated process of interdependent functions. Much of our problem is in a failure to recognize the unique roles of the different functions.” With so much logic and reason in play, we begin to lose meaning by constantly marginalizing ourselves. Nothing can be unique and the standardization of our mind leaves us robotic. We begin to “miss the capacity and meaning of the mind.”
Blog
Hughes Chapter Five, Seven, & Eight :
The germination of ideas reminded me of Richard Dadd’s painting The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. After nine years he still considered the painting unfinished. In this section it seemed like the idea is, you can’t put a time frame on creativity. The section also indicated that creativity exists in the person and it cannot be disentangled from the creative person to the creative product. That is agreeable subject matter.
I love Nietzche, but it’s no wonder he had problems with the ladies with that mustache. DAAAANG. His words on inspiration are inspiration itself. Though he denounces god, and some people may not be able to see past his opinions on the matter, but he was really a brilliant guy. He described his experiences with inspiration on page 63, when he said, “Everything occurs quite without volition, as if an eruption of freedom, independence, power, and divinity.”
What a wonderful guy.
Plato makes me laugh that inspiration is a possessed state. Is it a form of possession? Is it? I think of possession as something intense and the word holds a heavy meaning. Part of the definition of possession is madness… hmm…. And there have been plenty of mad artistic creative folk. Hmmmm…. So Plato had an interesting perspective on inspiration at a very early age in history.
Synesthesia is an interesting concept to say the least. Mozart claimed he could see his composition like a fine finished painting or beautiful statue. Beethoven could see the image of his musical work in front of him from every angle. It’s interesting because most people probably don’t experience this let alone relate sounds to colors.
“Society is hostile to change, and revolutions are normally unwelcome,” is maybe one of the best statements out of this book. Society doesn’t want change while the creative world is partially based on change and evolution of ideas. It’s only natural for the two to collide.
I heart Andy Warhol. He is simply neato. His use of color and repetition is brilliant among the many aspects of that man. I like the quote in the beginning of the book when he says, “People call me a mirror. And if a mirror looks into a mirror what does it see?” On page 89, Post modern art is described as only reflecting itself. It does not reflect a transcendent reality. Well put.
Childhood as an altered state is an interesting perspective. I’ve learned as the brain develops in a child that at certain ages their children are capable of learning and understanding things. Hughes said that since children can slip and out of current reality and a fantasy reality.
Winnie the Pooh and shamans… there is supporting evidence to back it up, but is it a coincidence? Alice in Wonderland is a trippy book/movie in general. Very creative concepts and understandably more adult oriented, but a little creepy Lewis Carroll was very fond of children except for boys.
Pearce Chapter Eight & Nine
In chapter eight at the beginning, Pearce’s “clearing in the forest” metaphor is clever, but somewhat cryptic.
One awesome thing Pearce said relating to that idea is, “The range of our possible actions has been so enormously widened by our conceptual powers – imagination, conception, and speculation – that ‘no inherited repertoire could fit the contingencies’ of our world.”
Pearce’s reasons for the failure of psychology is great. He is correct to say that psychology does not deal with the psyche. As well as many psychologists only manipulate things they could manipulate, the worm, the rat, the dog. Off hand, the rat refers to B.F. Skinner and the dog refers to Pavlov and his salivating dog. It is true though, psychologists cannot manipulate one’s psyche as easily as the animals are manipulated.
He is also ballsy with his statements on God and Jesus. In chapter eight, Pearce refers to god as “the projection called God” and basically speaks for Jesus and Don Juan, which is pretty ballsy. Most people don’t even talk about this stuff as not to offend anyone. It seems like he is speaking on behalf of Don Juan and Jesus, as if he knew what they thought and believed.
The germination of ideas reminded me of Richard Dadd’s painting The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. After nine years he still considered the painting unfinished. In this section it seemed like the idea is, you can’t put a time frame on creativity. The section also indicated that creativity exists in the person and it cannot be disentangled from the creative person to the creative product. That is agreeable subject matter.
I love Nietzche, but it’s no wonder he had problems with the ladies with that mustache. DAAAANG. His words on inspiration are inspiration itself. Though he denounces god, and some people may not be able to see past his opinions on the matter, but he was really a brilliant guy. He described his experiences with inspiration on page 63, when he said, “Everything occurs quite without volition, as if an eruption of freedom, independence, power, and divinity.”
What a wonderful guy.
Plato makes me laugh that inspiration is a possessed state. Is it a form of possession? Is it? I think of possession as something intense and the word holds a heavy meaning. Part of the definition of possession is madness… hmm…. And there have been plenty of mad artistic creative folk. Hmmmm…. So Plato had an interesting perspective on inspiration at a very early age in history.
Synesthesia is an interesting concept to say the least. Mozart claimed he could see his composition like a fine finished painting or beautiful statue. Beethoven could see the image of his musical work in front of him from every angle. It’s interesting because most people probably don’t experience this let alone relate sounds to colors.
“Society is hostile to change, and revolutions are normally unwelcome,” is maybe one of the best statements out of this book. Society doesn’t want change while the creative world is partially based on change and evolution of ideas. It’s only natural for the two to collide.
I heart Andy Warhol. He is simply neato. His use of color and repetition is brilliant among the many aspects of that man. I like the quote in the beginning of the book when he says, “People call me a mirror. And if a mirror looks into a mirror what does it see?” On page 89, Post modern art is described as only reflecting itself. It does not reflect a transcendent reality. Well put.
Childhood as an altered state is an interesting perspective. I’ve learned as the brain develops in a child that at certain ages their children are capable of learning and understanding things. Hughes said that since children can slip and out of current reality and a fantasy reality.
Winnie the Pooh and shamans… there is supporting evidence to back it up, but is it a coincidence? Alice in Wonderland is a trippy book/movie in general. Very creative concepts and understandably more adult oriented, but a little creepy Lewis Carroll was very fond of children except for boys.
Pearce Chapter Eight & Nine
In chapter eight at the beginning, Pearce’s “clearing in the forest” metaphor is clever, but somewhat cryptic.
One awesome thing Pearce said relating to that idea is, “The range of our possible actions has been so enormously widened by our conceptual powers – imagination, conception, and speculation – that ‘no inherited repertoire could fit the contingencies’ of our world.”
Pearce’s reasons for the failure of psychology is great. He is correct to say that psychology does not deal with the psyche. As well as many psychologists only manipulate things they could manipulate, the worm, the rat, the dog. Off hand, the rat refers to B.F. Skinner and the dog refers to Pavlov and his salivating dog. It is true though, psychologists cannot manipulate one’s psyche as easily as the animals are manipulated.
He is also ballsy with his statements on God and Jesus. In chapter eight, Pearce refers to god as “the projection called God” and basically speaks for Jesus and Don Juan, which is pretty ballsy. Most people don’t even talk about this stuff as not to offend anyone. It seems like he is speaking on behalf of Don Juan and Jesus, as if he knew what they thought and believed.
Creativity is Wild
I found Hughes' words to be most interesting this time around. As I have blogged before, I know all too well how creativity can take control. However, Hughes makes note that if that creativity is not channeled properly, it can escape. That is often why I take notes in a notebook of sorts, to ensure that these ideas do not escape me. Indeed, I have to make sure no good ideas slip away, like some wild animal. Hughes seems to believe the same as I do. However, also as Hughes has said, I often find myself slipping into a sort of an altered state when locked away in creativity, composing the various stories in my mind, but I must take care to keep my fingers typing when this occurs, as I produce work best when balanced between an altered state and concious state.
Regarding Pearce, I found his passages a little more difficult this time around...perhaps a reread would be in order, and if I come up with anything more insightful, I will blog on Thursday. What I did gather was that humans are comparable to animals in terms of intelligence, yet I hold a slightly differing opinion regarding that. I believe that animals have their own form of intelligence, and that a few opinionated humans from way back when simply deduced them to be stupid and uninspired. It's only recently that scientists have seen the true intelligence in animals; an ape can learn sign language; dolphins have been seen to have a complex social structure on par with our own; even some apes have developed their own forms of tools. It's just that so many view their advances as meaningless due to the ignorance of the aforementioned earlier humans...perhaps animals are no different from us, and, in their own way, have advanced to our own level or possibly beyond.
Regarding Pearce, I found his passages a little more difficult this time around...perhaps a reread would be in order, and if I come up with anything more insightful, I will blog on Thursday. What I did gather was that humans are comparable to animals in terms of intelligence, yet I hold a slightly differing opinion regarding that. I believe that animals have their own form of intelligence, and that a few opinionated humans from way back when simply deduced them to be stupid and uninspired. It's only recently that scientists have seen the true intelligence in animals; an ape can learn sign language; dolphins have been seen to have a complex social structure on par with our own; even some apes have developed their own forms of tools. It's just that so many view their advances as meaningless due to the ignorance of the aforementioned earlier humans...perhaps animals are no different from us, and, in their own way, have advanced to our own level or possibly beyond.
PHF
I liked reading about purity and innocence in the readings, although I don't think the word's "purity and innocence" were used.
There is definitely a relationship between artists and children. Artists have a very pure almost naive idea of what they can and cannot do, and then they just do it. I always thought the birth of the punk rock scene in the late seventies was a perfect example of creativity and innocence (minus all the heroin use). The scene was just a bunch of kids with no knowledge of how to play instruments. They felt that all of their musical heroes had begun to mock themselves. All these kids then started picking up instruments and writing songs, caring very little about all the technical jargon associated with playing music. They just had fun.
Children are honest and selfish, and they are the only humans that can away with it for a certain number of years before being fed into institutions. If these children have a problem with continuing on their honest and selfish ways, they better pick up a paint brush or an instrument or something, or their lives are going to go nuts.
Hold on... just re-read last paragraph... a little preachy... make some time to reflect on preachiness, tonight, 8:15.
Again animals... they don't do drugs, drink too much, get involved with other animals, etc.
Now, I'm not creative in any way whatsoever. Most of my time is spent with numbers and how to keep my heart disease from rising while the stock exchange melts (hint: eat lots of Cheerios. They're great for the heart. The box has a picture of a bowl shaped like a heart on it's cover). Most of my time is spent with equations. In fact after the readings, I developed a new one with a quote from page 91.
"... to be counted as creative requires the social honorific of certification as 'new,' 'valuable,' 'useful,' and appropriate,' conferred by members of society deemed qualified to judge its worth."
+
People judging its worth
-
People thinking it's awful
+
Some people thinking it's not awful
X
2(People thinking it's awful and making fun of the people who think it's not awful)
-
A celebrity endorsing the creative product
+
Death of the creative who made the product
+
All the people who hated the product
/
reading that a celebrity thinks it's cool
=
posthumous fame
Symbolically, the equation is as follows;
Q + P - P:( + P:) X 2P:( - C + D + P:( / C = PHF
There is definitely a relationship between artists and children. Artists have a very pure almost naive idea of what they can and cannot do, and then they just do it. I always thought the birth of the punk rock scene in the late seventies was a perfect example of creativity and innocence (minus all the heroin use). The scene was just a bunch of kids with no knowledge of how to play instruments. They felt that all of their musical heroes had begun to mock themselves. All these kids then started picking up instruments and writing songs, caring very little about all the technical jargon associated with playing music. They just had fun.
Children are honest and selfish, and they are the only humans that can away with it for a certain number of years before being fed into institutions. If these children have a problem with continuing on their honest and selfish ways, they better pick up a paint brush or an instrument or something, or their lives are going to go nuts.
Hold on... just re-read last paragraph... a little preachy... make some time to reflect on preachiness, tonight, 8:15.
Again animals... they don't do drugs, drink too much, get involved with other animals, etc.
Now, I'm not creative in any way whatsoever. Most of my time is spent with numbers and how to keep my heart disease from rising while the stock exchange melts (hint: eat lots of Cheerios. They're great for the heart. The box has a picture of a bowl shaped like a heart on it's cover). Most of my time is spent with equations. In fact after the readings, I developed a new one with a quote from page 91.
"... to be counted as creative requires the social honorific of certification as 'new,' 'valuable,' 'useful,' and appropriate,' conferred by members of society deemed qualified to judge its worth."
+
People judging its worth
-
People thinking it's awful
+
Some people thinking it's not awful
X
2(People thinking it's awful and making fun of the people who think it's not awful)
-
A celebrity endorsing the creative product
+
Death of the creative who made the product
+
All the people who hated the product
/
reading that a celebrity thinks it's cool
=
posthumous fame
Symbolically, the equation is as follows;
Q + P - P:( + P:) X 2P:( - C + D + P:( / C = PHF
Day Dreaming..........Kind of a Stretch!
Alot of key arguments were suggested about day dreaming and what we dream about. it was said that we often day dream about our fantasy's. I think that this is defiently true. When im day dreaming, 99.9 percent of the time, these dreams are things that would never happen in real life. Its cool to think about when you are in this alternate reality but when you come to, you understand how wild that idea really was. Most of the things i fantasize about are also outrageous. Sometimes i wish i had all the money in the world when in all actuality i would not like that. Because what my homie B.I.G. said more money equals more problem. Most of peoples day dreams are also things that you imagine in your head that cant really happen. I personally think that we have these thoughts because we are spaced out in this other reality that allows us to think outside the box. When we come to, we are back to SANE thoughts. Good read!
Only one more blog after this...
Ok, so listen to this---for the past two weeks i've been kind of worn out, down, depressed, etc, etc because i wasn't getting enough sleep ( or so i thought). while i realize that lack of sleep causes depression (perhaps sadness would be a more appropriate term) and that there's a cycle of the two.....no sleep, sad thoughts, followed by more sad thoughts, then no sleep again, and still more sad thoughts. I've been battling these thoughts of not being good enough for two weeks and today i finally realized that it wasn't the lack of sleep (i got enough over the weekend for once) but it's my never-ending quest for perfection. I'm so caught up on getting it right, that is, living right (or atleast my idea of it). this includes being a student, a son, a brother, a friend, an employee, a volunteer---i feel like there isn't enough time for all of this and that if i can't manage to play all of my roles well, then i'm a failure. again and again i try to give 100% of myself to each role and end up failing to some extent. I feel like some day, i'll get it right and just go on from there---getting it "right" day after day. well, sure enough my one class today was not on topic (again) and my professor started talking about how our culture/religion has this concept of perfection built into it even though it is impossible for us to achieve. i'm sitting there in class, as usual, wondering how we got so far off subject (yet i'm still interested) and thinking it's as if my professor was talking directly to me. YES---i wanted to scream. i know what you mean. i'm striving for this 'perfection' and inevitably continue to fail which makes me feel like a failure (sadness) and just perpetuates the cycle. so, enough is enough----and good enough will be good enough. sorry for rambling on there but i feel so strange right now typing this because i swear that lecture today was meant for me to hear. of course then the question is: How? i don't know. the best i can say is that it was creation. and that's all i've got for that question right now. the good thing about this is that soon i'll internalize what my professor was saying today and stop being so hard on myself---for now, they were just words and it was just kind of a weird thing to listen to knowing that i would benefit from having heard it later on down the road. On page 68 of Hughes (incubating the idea) he discusses the stages of the creative process. well, i think today was 'illumination' and at some point in the near future, i'll "get" it---or according to Hughes 'verification' will occur. i think i have some nice, peaceful sleep coming my way shortly. Pearce refers to my happening today as, "the kind of looking we can do is itself determined by and limited to previous interactions between forest and clearing" (133). the thing that will eventually save me from my misery of attempting perfection is what i choose to see it as---that is, what i decide to 'see' or learn from the event today.
Wallas' model
I liked the breakdown of the creative process in Wallas' model: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. How frustrating for creatives to be stuck in the incubation period for what Hughes claims may be "minutes to months to years". This validates why psychologists claim anxiety and tension are sometimes attributed to such processes prior to "breakthroughs". Could this be a correlation with Weil's claim that 3/4 of our real life is spent in imaginative phases? If we can deem creative thoughts as fictitious, at least until they come to fruition, then while they lie in this dormant state of incubation, certainly much time passes, as mentioned above. Hughes also refers to the tortured artist. If unable to transpose creative thoughts into finished products, especially in an idealized time frame, is it no wonder artists seem tortured? Pearce states, "Chaos is the underlying threat of the open system become self-conscious. "(144). While in the stage of incubation, if one allows the conscious to take over in an effort to resolve thoughts into a produced outcome, a muddled disarray is sure to ensue. Apparently, as reported by some artists, writers, and musicians in Hughes, creative thoughts may appear spontaneously, but must be left to the subconscious to work through to fruition.
I think the reference in Hughes to childhood perceptions being equated to ASC's is also significant. There is not much discrepancy between reality and fiction for children. They can easily accept any given information as being true. They are completely open-minded, that is until society's deemed truths and ideals are imposed and instilled upon them. This is what Pearce refers to as the lamb/fox metaphor. "There is a childlike quality in bringing the dream state through the crack to fruition. Such an inner state is balanced by a tough and resilient clarity of mind in the outer self. One is like a lamb to the inner spirit but like a fox to the outer world. This is the balance of mind." I believe both authors are suggesting we need to recall the innocence of childhood- not knowing consequences, ultimate truths, biases, and judgements. When we are able to achieve this kind of disposition in thinking, we can open ourselves to endless potential not only in creative processes but overall cognizance.
I think the reference in Hughes to childhood perceptions being equated to ASC's is also significant. There is not much discrepancy between reality and fiction for children. They can easily accept any given information as being true. They are completely open-minded, that is until society's deemed truths and ideals are imposed and instilled upon them. This is what Pearce refers to as the lamb/fox metaphor. "There is a childlike quality in bringing the dream state through the crack to fruition. Such an inner state is balanced by a tough and resilient clarity of mind in the outer self. One is like a lamb to the inner spirit but like a fox to the outer world. This is the balance of mind." I believe both authors are suggesting we need to recall the innocence of childhood- not knowing consequences, ultimate truths, biases, and judgements. When we are able to achieve this kind of disposition in thinking, we can open ourselves to endless potential not only in creative processes but overall cognizance.
Hughes and Pearce
Hughes writes, “After the one percent of inspiration comes the 99 percent of perspiration” (70). This goes along with the “Aha!” factor. You have that single moment of inspiration and then you have to put in hours upon hours to make your project the way you want it. I’m not sure that I agree with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He said “no one can be ‘Creative with a capital C,’ unless they master all that went before them in the field of, like Freud of the flight-obsessed Wright brothers, create their own field” (70). Though this idea was only proposed I feel like he is ignoring all the genius’ that have forged their own ways in existing fields.
I have noticed a type of trend when this book talks about the creatives. They all die generally young. I know that life expectancy wasn’t all that long in the 1700 and 1800’s but even people like Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath died relatively young. I wonder why this is. Could it be because their minds have so much information and creativity in them that they cant hold any more? Or is it simply because the majority have mental illness’ and can’t take it anymore? Or is it their drug use that ages them, physically and mentally, so much that they just can’t go on? The scientists considered great by Hughes seem to live a lot longer than the artists.
I still disagree with the fact that creativity has to be socially acceptable. I mentioned in a much earlier blog that I thought it was wrong that a group of people have to agree that something is creative and worth looking at. On page 91, Hughes writes, “…most creatives find that the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself provide sufficient motivation”. They didn’t care if people liked it or if they got paid for it as long as they were satisfied with the outcome. If they were worried about being socially acceptable, the artists had to depend on the type of society that they lived in. If the society was strict and the artists idea was radical, they would have to wait to be accepted and probably wouldn’t even be recognized as a genius until after their deaths.
I have noticed a type of trend when this book talks about the creatives. They all die generally young. I know that life expectancy wasn’t all that long in the 1700 and 1800’s but even people like Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath died relatively young. I wonder why this is. Could it be because their minds have so much information and creativity in them that they cant hold any more? Or is it simply because the majority have mental illness’ and can’t take it anymore? Or is it their drug use that ages them, physically and mentally, so much that they just can’t go on? The scientists considered great by Hughes seem to live a lot longer than the artists.
I still disagree with the fact that creativity has to be socially acceptable. I mentioned in a much earlier blog that I thought it was wrong that a group of people have to agree that something is creative and worth looking at. On page 91, Hughes writes, “…most creatives find that the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself provide sufficient motivation”. They didn’t care if people liked it or if they got paid for it as long as they were satisfied with the outcome. If they were worried about being socially acceptable, the artists had to depend on the type of society that they lived in. If the society was strict and the artists idea was radical, they would have to wait to be accepted and probably wouldn’t even be recognized as a genius until after their deaths.
Hughes and Pearce
Hughes 5
"At mundane level, most People achieve creative solution to new problems" (61) This is a quote that I picked up from the passage and beleive is true because most of the time it takes painful or life altering events to bring out the best in us. Only through problems does one grow intellectally and spiritually. Another quote I liked about this chapter is in pg 65 "The creative is attracted by the unrealized and drawn towards its realization". We are motivated by the possibilities that is unrealized and lay in us and we all have a potential that can be tapped by share will and drive.
In chapter 7 of hughes it talks about creativiuty and society. This comes into play with leadership and our individual and compiled ability to be inventive and innovative. As I wrote in my paper on cretivity earlier in the semester It takes the best cretive mind to govern and lead a nation of people or to be a leader in an organization or company. One has to be ablke to think out of the box for solutions on our toughest problems and how to better the peolple's lives they are leading. As a whole if not for the ability to be creative we wouldn't have advanced as a civilization we would have been stuck inthe stone age.
Chapter 8 of Hughes was interesting also. The part about childhood imagination and prodigies was fascinating to read. I think that children have the best imagination possibe. For them sky is not the limit they have such a vivid imagination. I know this for a fact because I remember what kind of imagination I had even at 6 years old. prodigies was fascinating because those are the choosen ones. They are a category of their own. Even speaking of them makes me jealous and wishful.
Pearce
I don't think there is much distinction between us and animals because we are similar in the basic structure of our cognitive wirings except we were meant to be the smarter speceies due to our more sophisticated wirings of the brain. They were meant to roam around in the wild and we were meant to carry on God's work and sustain the planet and advance mankind. Animals and Humans were both created the same in God's light.
"At mundane level, most People achieve creative solution to new problems" (61) This is a quote that I picked up from the passage and beleive is true because most of the time it takes painful or life altering events to bring out the best in us. Only through problems does one grow intellectally and spiritually. Another quote I liked about this chapter is in pg 65 "The creative is attracted by the unrealized and drawn towards its realization". We are motivated by the possibilities that is unrealized and lay in us and we all have a potential that can be tapped by share will and drive.
In chapter 7 of hughes it talks about creativiuty and society. This comes into play with leadership and our individual and compiled ability to be inventive and innovative. As I wrote in my paper on cretivity earlier in the semester It takes the best cretive mind to govern and lead a nation of people or to be a leader in an organization or company. One has to be ablke to think out of the box for solutions on our toughest problems and how to better the peolple's lives they are leading. As a whole if not for the ability to be creative we wouldn't have advanced as a civilization we would have been stuck inthe stone age.
Chapter 8 of Hughes was interesting also. The part about childhood imagination and prodigies was fascinating to read. I think that children have the best imagination possibe. For them sky is not the limit they have such a vivid imagination. I know this for a fact because I remember what kind of imagination I had even at 6 years old. prodigies was fascinating because those are the choosen ones. They are a category of their own. Even speaking of them makes me jealous and wishful.
Pearce
I don't think there is much distinction between us and animals because we are similar in the basic structure of our cognitive wirings except we were meant to be the smarter speceies due to our more sophisticated wirings of the brain. They were meant to roam around in the wild and we were meant to carry on God's work and sustain the planet and advance mankind. Animals and Humans were both created the same in God's light.
Daydream believer
One of the most interesting points Hughes mentions is the question of whether the person controls the creative process or if it is the creative process that controls the person. Hughes draws on the example Jackson Pollock's ability to control his alcoholism through his work, and Van Gogh's increase of self-esteem by receiving accolades for his painting (74).
The idea of daydreaming presented by Hughes as a necessary alternative to reality supports the ideas of altered states of consciousness. If whilst daydreaming one can archive ideas or solutions to problems that he or she may not have been otherwise able to achieve in a normal state of consciousness, does that make the daydreamer any different, in some respects, than a shaman? True, a shaman does enter these altered states willingly and intentionally, but it is possible for both to reach a conclusion that might otherwise have eluded them.
What is daydreaming but ignoring the clutter of the everyday world that your mind cannot otherwise filter? Meditating is the ability to block out all the white noise that distracts us from the ability to focus entirely on one thing; isn't daydreaming redirecting our concentration? Like any altered state, though, surely there is a limit. It would not do to forget about the reality in which our physical body exists in exchange for the altered state into which our mind has wandered.
The idea of daydreaming presented by Hughes as a necessary alternative to reality supports the ideas of altered states of consciousness. If whilst daydreaming one can archive ideas or solutions to problems that he or she may not have been otherwise able to achieve in a normal state of consciousness, does that make the daydreamer any different, in some respects, than a shaman? True, a shaman does enter these altered states willingly and intentionally, but it is possible for both to reach a conclusion that might otherwise have eluded them.
What is daydreaming but ignoring the clutter of the everyday world that your mind cannot otherwise filter? Meditating is the ability to block out all the white noise that distracts us from the ability to focus entirely on one thing; isn't daydreaming redirecting our concentration? Like any altered state, though, surely there is a limit. It would not do to forget about the reality in which our physical body exists in exchange for the altered state into which our mind has wandered.
Hughes Ch.5-8, Pearce Ch.8-9
Hughes brought up an interesting point about daydreaming and fantasies. He said first that “fantasies are the stuff of daydream or reverie, the state which Wordsworth described as being “both asleep and awake.” And Hughes also said that Freud identified fantasies as “unsatisfied wishes.” This stuff he is talking about is not direct, so it’s hard to know what kind of stuff he is referring too. But, one thing is I don’t believe fantasies are all unsatisfied wishes. Sometimes I believe your brain just has time where it continues to think about topics that intrigue you. Not all fantasies are wishes. Sometimes I think about moving into a big house in Hollywood, but the truth is I would actually never move away from Pennsylvania. It’s the interest of what it would be like if I was someone else, like a movie star. My dream occupation is not with acting at the slightest interest, but I believe people just grow intrigued in comparison to how other people’s lives are different from us. Among the other topics discussed in the assigned chapters, was creativity, under the topic of therapy. This is true, creativity can be looked at for majority of people as an out. Every person in the world has something they do, whether they notice it or not, which helps them just get into a zone, or give them a break from reality. Some zones could even last a second, like scratching a lottery ticket. For me, I can escape reality and just be creative while I am at work. My job deals with retail so constantly I change floor plans, which to me is fun. I enjoy configuring merchandise and clothing to make it more appealing and quickly accessible for customers. It’s like a big puzzle. Some days it works out great, it feels as if all my ideas just automatically click with each other, and then other days this mental zone or ease of creativity fades, when ideas are not working out, and I have to use one of my other “outs.” I know some people who find their out by playing sports. My one friend who is really great at basketball will just go shoot by herself for a while when she is frustrated. Another thing I enjoy doing is taking long runs in the morning. It could be freezing out or scorching hot, but if I am frustrated and need my “out,” I will go for a nice jog just as the sun is coming up, with no Ipod, or anything to distract me, and as I run just take in the peace of the atmosphere. It’s a perfect time to just see how beautiful the day is, even if after my jog I know I will be weighed down with assignments, work, and errands. Once I am done, I feel ready to face what is bothering me head on, and it helps me too to just have that quite time to figure out how. Sometimes it may not be easy running. Depending on how you physically feel, it may cause a lot of pain to your knees, cause side stitches, hurts your calves from running hills, the sweat may burn your eyes, you have cars going by who are getting a little too close sometimes, but at the same time it’s an addiction because I feel so good inside, as if weight was lifted off my shoulders after I am done. It becomes a feeling of relief, which I feel creativity is. In away I feel Pearce has a quote from his chapter that attributes. “The cause of the need is the cause of the fulfillment of the need, as Langer quotes Fluger.” (Pearce 136)
Hughes and Pearce
In this weeks reading, Pearce makes a distinction between humans and animals. I am one of those people who believes that humans are nothing more than complex animals. How did we get here? I don't know. But without human parents at the early stages of our lives we revert to animal behavior. For example, feral children, who were raised in the wilderness by animals, act like the animals they were raised by. (I mentioned this in a previous blog.) When society attempts to rehabilitate these individuals, some abilities we think as normal are never realized. A good example of this is the case of Oxana Malaya who was raised by wolves.
I think the importance of a human upbringing with human parents is fascination. Even more profound is how easy it is for a human to lose that human edge. Our lives (though they may seem complex) are actually rather simple. Core elements of the animal experience such as eating, intercourse/reproduction, sleep, work, migrating from place to place, establishment of territory, death, et cetera are still the foundation of our lives. In fact, any other "more advanced" (human) element we possess, are used by us to secure one of those basic elements aforementioned.
I guess that's a bland Freudian way of thinking of things. Humans are flat basically predictable creatures that are nothing more than different from the other animals... certainly not better. Despite all of our "advances", humans (as a whole) are lower, in my opinion, than animals... especially in the core ways that actually matter. Instead of living in harmony with our surroundings (which I believe is the most important thing in the greater scheme of things) we consume, consume, and consume. May be humans are actually devolving.
Referring to Northrop Fyre's Four Essays, Pearce describes the core parts of the texts, which I think are worth mentioning. "Our modern image plays the alazon in that we pretend to be unique from previous developments; superior, because our science and gadgets, to all other cultures in spite of a lack of a cohesive culture of our own. And we play the eiron in that we deprecate ourselves— considering ourselves but a clever ape, able by some freak to catch on to a mechanism a priori and superior to us. Thus we suffer guilt and fear of reprisal over our manipulations of nature, and a sense of alienation from our continuum, or ecology, our fellows and ourselves."
Pearce focused a lot on complex thinking. Ultimately, his book forces us to ask the age old question: Where do all of these ideas come from in the first place?
In Altered States: Creativity Under the Influence, Hughes attempts to answer that question. In chapter 5, he focuses on the creative process and the AHA Factor. He states that the AHA is a product of inspiration, an alteration in breathing pattern, often accompanied by tension or anxiety, suggesting that it may embody unconscious conflicts. The "AHA" is the bursting of the bubble, containing the seeds that eventually spur the poet or artist to insight. Unfortunately, finding that muse is hard.
Hughes mentions the Romantic poets and artist who used narcotics as a catalyst to reach the end result of this process. These are all things that we have talked about before during class. We have discussed the possibility of these drugs as a means to tap into our original state, the altered state, where ideas flowed freely, unfettered from the physical world. As we age, many of us lose that connection. A caption in chapter 8 reads "Children's incapacity to distinguish between their imaginative world and the "real" world is the source of their enviable creative enthusiasm."
I think the importance of a human upbringing with human parents is fascination. Even more profound is how easy it is for a human to lose that human edge. Our lives (though they may seem complex) are actually rather simple. Core elements of the animal experience such as eating, intercourse/reproduction, sleep, work, migrating from place to place, establishment of territory, death, et cetera are still the foundation of our lives. In fact, any other "more advanced" (human) element we possess, are used by us to secure one of those basic elements aforementioned.
I guess that's a bland Freudian way of thinking of things. Humans are flat basically predictable creatures that are nothing more than different from the other animals... certainly not better. Despite all of our "advances", humans (as a whole) are lower, in my opinion, than animals... especially in the core ways that actually matter. Instead of living in harmony with our surroundings (which I believe is the most important thing in the greater scheme of things) we consume, consume, and consume. May be humans are actually devolving.
Referring to Northrop Fyre's Four Essays, Pearce describes the core parts of the texts, which I think are worth mentioning. "Our modern image plays the alazon in that we pretend to be unique from previous developments; superior, because our science and gadgets, to all other cultures in spite of a lack of a cohesive culture of our own. And we play the eiron in that we deprecate ourselves— considering ourselves but a clever ape, able by some freak to catch on to a mechanism a priori and superior to us. Thus we suffer guilt and fear of reprisal over our manipulations of nature, and a sense of alienation from our continuum, or ecology, our fellows and ourselves."
Pearce focused a lot on complex thinking. Ultimately, his book forces us to ask the age old question: Where do all of these ideas come from in the first place?
In Altered States: Creativity Under the Influence, Hughes attempts to answer that question. In chapter 5, he focuses on the creative process and the AHA Factor. He states that the AHA is a product of inspiration, an alteration in breathing pattern, often accompanied by tension or anxiety, suggesting that it may embody unconscious conflicts. The "AHA" is the bursting of the bubble, containing the seeds that eventually spur the poet or artist to insight. Unfortunately, finding that muse is hard.
Hughes mentions the Romantic poets and artist who used narcotics as a catalyst to reach the end result of this process. These are all things that we have talked about before during class. We have discussed the possibility of these drugs as a means to tap into our original state, the altered state, where ideas flowed freely, unfettered from the physical world. As we age, many of us lose that connection. A caption in chapter 8 reads "Children's incapacity to distinguish between their imaginative world and the "real" world is the source of their enviable creative enthusiasm."
Monday, November 10, 2008
week 12
I enjoyed the Hughes reading this week. The Greek's are an excellent jumping off point for any discussions concerning the factors that might influence an artist. Phidias definitely illustrates the Greek's mastery of art and sculpture. Besides Phidias' contribution to the frieze of the Parthenon, he is responsible for creating one of the seven ancient wonders of the world: the statue of Zeus at Olympia. At any rate, the Renaissance, which drew its humanistic inspiration from the Greeks and Romans, was another culturally rich period of time that offers a plethora of ways to contemplate how factors like economy, society and values shape an artists' work. "It was the involvement of the entire community in the creative process that made the Renaissance possible. And it was not a random event, but a calculated conscious policy on the part of those who had wealth and power" (Csikszentmahalyi quoted in Hughes 101).
On the other hand, the Pearce reading this week was not particularly enjoyable. His discussion in previous chapters concerning human knowledge, ignorance, and narrow-mindedness were all topics worthy of consideration and further reflection. However, Pearce's discussion on Jesus, once again, gives me pause. His standpoint is one molded from an entirely subjective conceptual construct, and he systematically construes aspects of Christianity to suit the purposes of his argument, an all too common characteristic shared by the pious of various religious affiliations. Without trampling on the religious beliefs of any persons that might be reading this blog, let's just say that it would be an understatement to note that the substance of chapter nine is entirely debatable.
On the other hand, the Pearce reading this week was not particularly enjoyable. His discussion in previous chapters concerning human knowledge, ignorance, and narrow-mindedness were all topics worthy of consideration and further reflection. However, Pearce's discussion on Jesus, once again, gives me pause. His standpoint is one molded from an entirely subjective conceptual construct, and he systematically construes aspects of Christianity to suit the purposes of his argument, an all too common characteristic shared by the pious of various religious affiliations. Without trampling on the religious beliefs of any persons that might be reading this blog, let's just say that it would be an understatement to note that the substance of chapter nine is entirely debatable.
Listen to the murmuring
“The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listen to these murmurs that one hears the truth” – Gaston Bachelard (Hughes 60). This quote so wonderfully encapsulates the reference that Pearce (149) makes to a book titled The Cross and the Swithblade and the books author David Wilkerson.
David was a country preacher from Pennsylvania (Phillipsburg) who founded Teen Challenge (1958). Teen Challenge is one of the oldest, largest and most successful faith based recovery programs of its kind in the world. As of January 2002, at the beginning the 45th year, there were 178 Teen Challenge programs in the United States and another 150 in other countries around the world. (http://www.teenchallengetc.com/index.html) In addition to founding Teen Challenge he also founded Times Square Church in 1987. This church serves ever 8,000 people, representing more than 100 different nationalities ( http://www.tscnyc.org/about_us.php) Your reading this and thinking, there she goes again on her religious soapbox – just hang with me!
During an evening of prayer (preparation) Dave Wilkerson picked up a Life magazine. He had been restless (mind chatter) and wondered what he was being directed to do (intuition /hunches). Dave felt God drawing him (incubation) to the picture of the seven boys who were on trial for murder. At the time, David said the felt as thought he received clear instruction (illumination) to go to New York City and help those boys. Mr. Wilkerson’s (verification) came with the founding of the previous mentioned programs. David Wilkerson listen to the murmuring heard his truth…
David was a country preacher from Pennsylvania (Phillipsburg) who founded Teen Challenge (1958). Teen Challenge is one of the oldest, largest and most successful faith based recovery programs of its kind in the world. As of January 2002, at the beginning the 45th year, there were 178 Teen Challenge programs in the United States and another 150 in other countries around the world. (http://www.teenchallengetc.com/index.html) In addition to founding Teen Challenge he also founded Times Square Church in 1987. This church serves ever 8,000 people, representing more than 100 different nationalities ( http://www.tscnyc.org/about_us.php) Your reading this and thinking, there she goes again on her religious soapbox – just hang with me!
During an evening of prayer (preparation) Dave Wilkerson picked up a Life magazine. He had been restless (mind chatter) and wondered what he was being directed to do (intuition /hunches). Dave felt God drawing him (incubation) to the picture of the seven boys who were on trial for murder. At the time, David said the felt as thought he received clear instruction (illumination) to go to New York City and help those boys. Mr. Wilkerson’s (verification) came with the founding of the previous mentioned programs. David Wilkerson listen to the murmuring heard his truth…
Hughes 5,7,8 Pierce 8,9
Hughes-
Hughes describes that the role of creativity is seen through out the unconscious mind. I was impressed by Sigman Freud's "the unconscious consits of element derived from the individuals past that are kept out of consciousness because they are personally or socially unacceptable but continue to exert an effect on conscious thought and behavior." So a past experience can greatly affect what is presently going on in your work of art. Art is a communication to others. Art as Hughes stated " is the ability of art to transmit emotion is one of the qualities that we value most." Maybe that is why most artist or people who are sick developer an artistic skill. I thought it was funny when the grapes painted by Apelle looked so real that sparrows were picking at them. I thought it was a great reference to Winnicotts description of a child vs. mother ( art as comfort blanket). Towards the end I think that the child's dreaming state is an idea for my final paper.
Pierce-
I think Pierces clearing of the forest relates to his cosmic egg theory because in order for one to see the light in the forest or see the crack in the egg, they must experience it and believe that their is a lesson or reason behind what they are seeking. He states " we can be integrated with ourselves and understand our true position and potential only by personally experiencing the full mode of our mind which is a mind that shades into the past." And the culture that we live in affects the crack or the light "A culture is the symbolic expression of developed habitual ways of experience as a whole." "The Forest shapes according to the light of the clearing." I think Pierce is trying to say that the way you perceive things to be or believe in them will somehow shape the "light" that you will see in the forest.
Hughes describes that the role of creativity is seen through out the unconscious mind. I was impressed by Sigman Freud's "the unconscious consits of element derived from the individuals past that are kept out of consciousness because they are personally or socially unacceptable but continue to exert an effect on conscious thought and behavior." So a past experience can greatly affect what is presently going on in your work of art. Art is a communication to others. Art as Hughes stated " is the ability of art to transmit emotion is one of the qualities that we value most." Maybe that is why most artist or people who are sick developer an artistic skill. I thought it was funny when the grapes painted by Apelle looked so real that sparrows were picking at them. I thought it was a great reference to Winnicotts description of a child vs. mother ( art as comfort blanket). Towards the end I think that the child's dreaming state is an idea for my final paper.
Pierce-
I think Pierces clearing of the forest relates to his cosmic egg theory because in order for one to see the light in the forest or see the crack in the egg, they must experience it and believe that their is a lesson or reason behind what they are seeking. He states " we can be integrated with ourselves and understand our true position and potential only by personally experiencing the full mode of our mind which is a mind that shades into the past." And the culture that we live in affects the crack or the light "A culture is the symbolic expression of developed habitual ways of experience as a whole." "The Forest shapes according to the light of the clearing." I think Pierce is trying to say that the way you perceive things to be or believe in them will somehow shape the "light" that you will see in the forest.
hypnosis
Hypnosis was very interesting to learn about especially from Pearce. As he actually dove into the interworkings of hypnosis and says that only about twenty percent of Americans can be hypnotized. I never really paid to mmuch attention to hypnotists becuase i cant be put into a state such as hypnosis. Im not saying it cant be done but i would think humans were just to smart to let someone try and basically "control" you. Because in hypnosis the person that is hypnotized never looses control of their body and mind they can think for themselves in that altered state, but the hypnotized are just more open to sugesstions than they woul dbe if they were in a "normal" state of conciouness. Another theme in the readings i thought was interesting was communication and i dont like the tone Pearce seems to give off that we communicate differently because were so technilogically driven. Pearce makes it sound bad, I believe we huminized communication, yes humans may communicate differently now than we did when technology was not as prevalant but I dont believe communication has changed in a bad way. Humans took the "old ways" of communication and made it our own hence this is why i used the term huminized it. As humans we have not lost nor are we losing our identity, Pearce makes it sound like change is a bad thing, so the human race is making things faster, more reliable, and overall better and Pearce thinks were losing our identity? He reminds the reader the world is full of possibilities and it's not to late, of course its not to late because we as humans have not lost our identity we make our own identity, society doesnt depict that.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Hughes and Pearce
Hughes says, "For creativity is an important, perhaps the most important, form of communication"(64). I never realized how much creativity is used to communicate. Everywhere there are movies, books, poems, advertisements, and so many other forms of communication that all relay an important an message. They all cause some type of emotion and a reaction, which varies from one person to another. Pearce seems to suggest that communication has changed, because society is so heavily reliant on technology. The world we used to live in and the one we live in now are like two separate worlds. Pearce states, "So we interpret ourselves as clever animals who, having found a hole in zoo's fence, have wandered into alian territory. Unable to deny our physical inheritance from the past we have become overly fascinated with it. . ." (134). I think it is interesting that humans are so different from previous generations, when they are really the same. I'm not sure if that is correct, but that is what I understood. Humans have come a long way, but there is still A LOT that we cannot make sense of. Creativity and communication all change with time. Some people seek change and some people resist it, but society still says what creativity is. By trying to understand ourselves in the past, we can better understand ourselves now. I think from all the materials and technology in the world humans are losing their identity. Our society is kind of like a child that is losing the mystery and the connection to altered states of consciousness. However, Pearce seems to remind the reader that the world is full of possibilities, and it is not too late.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Hughes, Pearce and Walsh
William Blake said, "Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that call'd Body is a portion of Soul discern'd by the five senses.... If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he see all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern" (Hughes). In other words, Behold and Become.
We experience this world through our five filters—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. It's hard to imagine what we would perceive without these filters.
There was a lot of text devoted to advanced yogic and meditative states. In one of my first blogs, I wrote "Hughes text (specifically parts of Chapter 3) reminded me of something I read in a Kabbalist text. It argued that the "real world" was filtered by our five senses. This filtering process keeps us from experience true reality." Hughes reiterates this idea again in this chapter. This concept, I believe, is central to the craft of Shamans, and advanced practitioners of yogic and meditative states.
I'd really like to know more about Buddhist and Hindu mandalas or yantras briefly touched on in Hughes' text on page 154.
In the first week of class, when we were asked to name different methods of altered states. I mentioned the "OM". In the kind of meditation I do, hemi-sync, the OM (or resonant tuning) is crucial to reaching an altered state. It's like a warp drive for meditation, allowing one to lock into the natural vibration that exist around us.
Hughes explained it well. He mentioned that many ancient (and modern) traditions teach that the origin of the whole of creation is vibration. I am so interested in the primal sound, the vibration of the Big Bang!! Fascinating!
Pearce also discusses many of the methods of ACS, commonly associated with the Shaman, Buddhist, and others, such as hypnotism and trance experiences.
Walsh, Part 7, tied right in with the Hughes and Pearce text. Walsh presented his readers with a detailed table, comparing the experiences of a Shamanic journey with the experiences of advanced yogic and meditative states. Toward the end of this section, he refutes all the outrageous claims that schizophrenic, Buddhist, and yogic states are indistinguishable.
We experience this world through our five filters—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. It's hard to imagine what we would perceive without these filters.
There was a lot of text devoted to advanced yogic and meditative states. In one of my first blogs, I wrote "Hughes text (specifically parts of Chapter 3) reminded me of something I read in a Kabbalist text. It argued that the "real world" was filtered by our five senses. This filtering process keeps us from experience true reality." Hughes reiterates this idea again in this chapter. This concept, I believe, is central to the craft of Shamans, and advanced practitioners of yogic and meditative states.
I'd really like to know more about Buddhist and Hindu mandalas or yantras briefly touched on in Hughes' text on page 154.
In the first week of class, when we were asked to name different methods of altered states. I mentioned the "OM". In the kind of meditation I do, hemi-sync, the OM (or resonant tuning) is crucial to reaching an altered state. It's like a warp drive for meditation, allowing one to lock into the natural vibration that exist around us.
Hughes explained it well. He mentioned that many ancient (and modern) traditions teach that the origin of the whole of creation is vibration. I am so interested in the primal sound, the vibration of the Big Bang!! Fascinating!
Pearce also discusses many of the methods of ACS, commonly associated with the Shaman, Buddhist, and others, such as hypnotism and trance experiences.
Walsh, Part 7, tied right in with the Hughes and Pearce text. Walsh presented his readers with a detailed table, comparing the experiences of a Shamanic journey with the experiences of advanced yogic and meditative states. Toward the end of this section, he refutes all the outrageous claims that schizophrenic, Buddhist, and yogic states are indistinguishable.
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