Here come the artsy things!
6/2/05
I am often inspired by hypnagogic images. These are the dream-like images that
sometimes appear as you fall asleep. They're not really dreams, because you're usually
not completely asleep yet when they appear. And at least for me, they're usually still images.
So as I was quickly losing it to a much needed nap, this image appeared to me. The artsy things slowly flying
in over the hills just like this. This is very close to the actual hypnagogic image. I had to
quickly try to remember the details of the artsy things as I was falling asleep, so I would be
able to recreate them later. I did have a hard time later deciding which cloud background to
use. I ended up with H of them, er I mean 8. I narrowed it down to the three shown here, A, C
and D. Mayhaps you'd like to vote for your favorite. So, without further ado, I present one
of my few actually named works,
Here come the artsy things!: 2005, Mixed
digital media, on, um, your monitor, 900x675.
While I'm here, I may as well spew forth the other major ideas in my head about art.
First, a little about why I do this, where I'm coming from as an "artist." It's strange, that I feel the need to explain myself as an artist, and yet feel no need whatsoever for anyone else engaged in the making of any art of any kind to similarly explain themselves. Why is that? Anyway, I do these and post these as a spiritual practice, which is little more than saying "just because I do." Doing it as a spiritual practice means doing it just because I do it, and the self expression nourishes my soul, with the added idea of continuing to do it just because I do. So in a nutshell, I do them because I like to do them, and I post them because I do them. I don't post them because I think they're good. I post them just because I do them, without value judgment, or rather I should say regardless of whether I think they are good or bad. Posting is just part of my practice.
Second, I find myself more attracted to the aesthetic of the craftsperson, than the aestheitc of the "artist." The craftsperson engages in their craft, at the heart of it, simply because they enjoy doing it. The artist always has, imho, always feels, at least some pressure to do something great. Or at least to work towards doing something great someday. To create something mediocre is, for an artist, in the end, to have failed. But of course how much any artist suffers from this (usually self-imposed) pressure varies with each individual. However, if a craftsperson creates something mediocre, well that's ok because the focus always was on the enjoyment of doing it. So I reject utterly any pressure (formerly self-imposed) to create great art. So I call these things art and think of myself as the artist, but they are really my craft. Albeit with no practical application, like most crafts have. If I accepted pressure to create great art, there is no way I could do this as a spiritual practice and post a lot of the crap I have.
Last, after many years of idle musings, I've come to the conclusion that there are only two valid questions to ask in the appreciation of art. 1) Do you like it? and 2) Is it thought provoking? This opinion of mine renders all negative art criticism null and void, because it is completely baseless. You don't need someone to tell you why you should not like something, and all the reasons underlying art "criticism" ultimately get down to being based on assumptions or opinions you may or may not share. Certainly criticism of creative expression that has no practical purpose cannot be based on any kind of fact. You should be able to tell what you like and what you don't. And it does not need to be justified. No opinion does. That's why they're opinions. So I view art criticism as so much hot air, really an attempt by the "critics" to look smart, but I draw a distinction between that and praise of any sort for a work of art. Any kind of praise is valid because it means either a) you like it, or b) it has made you think. So I don't think there is any "bad" art, nor is there any valid basis for declaring a work of art "bad." There is only art you like, art that makes you think, and art that does nothing for you. And art that does nothing for you may do something for someone else, and so should also be preserved.
Why are these valid questions to ask in the appreciation of art? Because they are both doorways to introspection. If you like something, more than just enjoying it, you can ask why you like it, and pursuing that question may help you understand and know yourself better. If something makes you think, obviously you can pursue that line of thought, but again you can also ask yourself why you think what you do, and what about this art work got you thinking and why. If art truly has any purpose, it is to broaden ones horizons, and introspection is the means by which it does this.