I appreciate the depth, time, work, that yall put into this.
I love Walter Anderson. He spent much of his time alone on an island that he rowed to, twelve miles from shore. He documented and understood the wildlife around him in his art and in his journals. He did this for himself and largely by himself. Henry Darger is another that comes to mind. The obsession + imagination is what gets me.
Thank you!! I'm not familiar with Walter Anderson, but I'll look him up! Henry Darger is a huge outsider art legend here in Chicago. I found out about him a while back from visiting the intuit art museum here. They basically have his room from his actual house installed permanently as an exhibit there. So cool!
i feel like im at different stages of the journey depending on the craft, which for me involves different genres of writing and research. it’s actually sort of helpful to remember that just bc im besties with the ox in my journaling life, it doesn’t mean that i am even remotely even able to see the ox of my fiction writing practice. really helpful reframe for me to chew on today…
That makes sense! Research is definitely a different modality. I hope it was helpful for you! Incorporating Buddhist philosophy into my creative practice has always been really helpful for me.
...wowzers what an incredibly put together thoughtful piece y'all have made...definitely in ox tamer mode though i take steps forward and backwards all the time...my key advice to other creatives is almost always focus on making the work fun, repeatable and accountable...set accomplishable goals and you will accomplish them...if you accomplish more than that great...but that way the dreaded missed goal or deadline doesn't thwart the dream (of more ox time)...i would barely know myself or anyone else if it wasn't for art...it is called amusing because we need to make our muse sing...helping others is helping yourself (or at least it is for me)...that last question is probably too loaded for me to handle here...to many folks and ideas to point at, but the streets is often where my mind returns...those just getting started...those who barely believe...those challenging existence...the artists who make me feel the bleed...that is the good juice...those who teach and mentor are also especially important to me...even if you make exclusive art find a way to make it inclusive...we need more access to cool human shit, not just robot barf...
Thank you so much for your comment! It's called amusing because we need to make our muse sing! Love that. I really agree with you. Everything we are traditionally taught about art and creativity seems to teach us to focus on rigor and skill and focus too much on copying others, and we have to work really hard to get out of the psychological prison of perfectionism.
I actually loved that you had such a big beef with Julia Cameron's The Artist Way and shared it here. A breath of fresh air! I also always really like the way you talk about your art process. I'd love to hear more about how you personally used the active imagination processes from Carl Jung's writing.
LOL I feel like there is a big elephant in the room with The Artists Way. I feel mixed about it--on one hand it did atleast get my to write, and I have kept the pages as apart of my practice as well as artist dates, but on the other hand the way she frames creativity REALLY did not work for me. It also came off as extremely classist and out of touch. It denys a lot of real world problems people face--access to time and resources and stuff. The spiritual elements of the book feel very off to me as well....It's a great idea, but it needs an update badly. Did you have a similar expierience?
I read that book a long time ago, and I don't remember if I finished it. My big takeaway was the Morning Pages, which I don't use in the mornings but if I'm stuck about something. I find by the time I get to page 3 of the free writing, I'm finally closing in on the issue and need to write a few more pages. So I don't really have an issue with her, but that book is practically sacrosanct these days, so I always appreciate an opposing point of view in those circumstances. :D I think she did just recently come out with a new edition, but no idea if the updates are superficial or in-depth. Perhaps it needs YOUR perspective--or the world does in response to just receiving as is without questioning.
Finally, I've been obsessed with thinking about and engaging in different practices around the imagination for the last several months, so I really appreciate that link--great explanation of the Jungian approach!
I appreciate the depth, time, work, that yall put into this.
I love Walter Anderson. He spent much of his time alone on an island that he rowed to, twelve miles from shore. He documented and understood the wildlife around him in his art and in his journals. He did this for himself and largely by himself. Henry Darger is another that comes to mind. The obsession + imagination is what gets me.
Thank you!! I'm not familiar with Walter Anderson, but I'll look him up! Henry Darger is a huge outsider art legend here in Chicago. I found out about him a while back from visiting the intuit art museum here. They basically have his room from his actual house installed permanently as an exhibit there. So cool!
Love Henry Darger...
i feel like im at different stages of the journey depending on the craft, which for me involves different genres of writing and research. it’s actually sort of helpful to remember that just bc im besties with the ox in my journaling life, it doesn’t mean that i am even remotely even able to see the ox of my fiction writing practice. really helpful reframe for me to chew on today…
That makes sense! Research is definitely a different modality. I hope it was helpful for you! Incorporating Buddhist philosophy into my creative practice has always been really helpful for me.
💘
...wowzers what an incredibly put together thoughtful piece y'all have made...definitely in ox tamer mode though i take steps forward and backwards all the time...my key advice to other creatives is almost always focus on making the work fun, repeatable and accountable...set accomplishable goals and you will accomplish them...if you accomplish more than that great...but that way the dreaded missed goal or deadline doesn't thwart the dream (of more ox time)...i would barely know myself or anyone else if it wasn't for art...it is called amusing because we need to make our muse sing...helping others is helping yourself (or at least it is for me)...that last question is probably too loaded for me to handle here...to many folks and ideas to point at, but the streets is often where my mind returns...those just getting started...those who barely believe...those challenging existence...the artists who make me feel the bleed...that is the good juice...those who teach and mentor are also especially important to me...even if you make exclusive art find a way to make it inclusive...we need more access to cool human shit, not just robot barf...
Thank you so much for your comment! It's called amusing because we need to make our muse sing! Love that. I really agree with you. Everything we are traditionally taught about art and creativity seems to teach us to focus on rigor and skill and focus too much on copying others, and we have to work really hard to get out of the psychological prison of perfectionism.
I actually loved that you had such a big beef with Julia Cameron's The Artist Way and shared it here. A breath of fresh air! I also always really like the way you talk about your art process. I'd love to hear more about how you personally used the active imagination processes from Carl Jung's writing.
LOL I feel like there is a big elephant in the room with The Artists Way. I feel mixed about it--on one hand it did atleast get my to write, and I have kept the pages as apart of my practice as well as artist dates, but on the other hand the way she frames creativity REALLY did not work for me. It also came off as extremely classist and out of touch. It denys a lot of real world problems people face--access to time and resources and stuff. The spiritual elements of the book feel very off to me as well....It's a great idea, but it needs an update badly. Did you have a similar expierience?
I just went to an intuitive writing workshop at the Jung Institute in Chicago and we did a few excercises. Psychology today describes it pretty well here-- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindfulness-and-music/202303/jungian-integration-of-opposites-and-the-active-imagination#:~:text=Jung%20describes%20the%20method%20of,or%20emotions%20that%20we%20experience.
I read that book a long time ago, and I don't remember if I finished it. My big takeaway was the Morning Pages, which I don't use in the mornings but if I'm stuck about something. I find by the time I get to page 3 of the free writing, I'm finally closing in on the issue and need to write a few more pages. So I don't really have an issue with her, but that book is practically sacrosanct these days, so I always appreciate an opposing point of view in those circumstances. :D I think she did just recently come out with a new edition, but no idea if the updates are superficial or in-depth. Perhaps it needs YOUR perspective--or the world does in response to just receiving as is without questioning.
Finally, I've been obsessed with thinking about and engaging in different practices around the imagination for the last several months, so I really appreciate that link--great explanation of the Jungian approach!