Zen koan...
THE CROOKED PATH
How do we go straight ahead
On a narrow mountain path which
Has ninety-three curves?
Greetings all:
Richard is working on an exhibit set for September and thus has taken some time off to focus on that effort. He’ll be back.
In the meantime, Jundo has invited me to facilitate the art circle group for a bit. I am humbled and honored.
A little background: Richard is a painter. ‘I do everything but paint’ (that’s how I answer the complicated question…’what kind of art do you make?’). My work is object oriented, concept specific installation art (mostly environmental issues), or drawings focused on the beautiful but mundane in nature (seeds, grass, insects etc.). I am a crafts-person. I love working with materials, wide variety of materials have crossed my studio in the 40 plus years I’ve been an artist. From steel to grass, wood, clay, paper, graphite to bee’s wax, really anything that I must use to say what I want to say. Most recently I’m working with paper and thread (e.g. Rakusu Project and some more recent thread ‘drawings’).
I'd like our discussions to be about how we approach art, our relationship with it and how it fits into our life. Anyone who is affected by art, makes art, thinks about creativity (which means really everyone) is invited to participate. So, writers, musicians, photographers, sculptors, painters really everyone, please participate. Even if you are not actively making art, you have a lot to contribute.
Some possible topics:
- inspiration including interdisciplinary inspiration. Who/what is our muse and how we find her.
- a post on how we prepare to make art, what that practice might look like.
- discuss art making intuitively or intellectually, and how to access the intuitive
- what is creativity (philosophers, poets everyone has tried to figure this one out)
- wonder and curiosity in the creative process
- importance of creativity and art in our lives
- a topic that sometimes terrifies but can be constructive and welcome: criticism, how to look at and respond to art
- materials, how they move us, how we respond to them, how we let them speak through us
- rules in art making, are they to be followed?
- and one topic I find most interesting: blocks, how we overcome creative blocks (my blocks are legend)!
- Attachment! How attachment to our creations can block our creative path
I’d enjoy a conversation, where we listen to each other and the discussion grows. I know there are many creative people out there and we’d love to hear what you have to say. And what topics you might want to discuss that are / or are not listed above.
Art-making is a rich, complex, lonely, rewarding, scary, painful, satisfying occupation. Art is core to our human connection, human fulfillment, experience and joy. Art making spans eons. It's a wondrous part of life.. And the discussion itself can stimulate creativity. Besides thoughts, post images/writings/music of what you are working on, images that relate to the discussion or not. We can inspire one another.
Let us know what’s on your mind and we can get going! you can post here or PM me.
PS. the above koan speaks to my path as an artist for these 40+ years.
Gassho,
Anne
~st~
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). I started to try and write a few songs in the last few years and will review your topics in relation to that, as it was something that seemed to appear from nowhere but your "framework" has got me thinking, where they may have originated from. I am yet to finish a single project but have a few in the pipeline but will look at each one and consider your discussion criteria and hopefully provide some input to the thread.
