Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

Times of solitude offer us the opportunity to either entertain, educate or, if we're lucky, enlighten ourselves. Solitude can be an encounter with the Self, that which becomes attuned to potential to communicate it's Self through our senses - the result of creative energy that bursts throughout the body, activating sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. We have only to use the power that ignites imagination to become our reflection of the moment... that union of Self with Body.

Body responds in kind: interpreting, conceiving, creating. We allow the energy to command the performance. No longer are we 'me'... our 'I' dissolves into the ethers of imagination... a place where all is possible.

What to pick from all the imaginings meandering along our view... as we find ourselves relaxed, at ease - all this potential mellowed out. We digest the contents of imagination somehow strangely drawn only to certain things... as if we were meant to join at that one brief moment. It could be anything... it doesn't matter at that point, only to connect. It takes that before we can interpret.

Once we're well connected to the object or situation within imagination, we use all five senses to understand the attraction. We see the possibilities (maybe that is why we become attracted to just one thing within the multitudes simmering in the cauldron of the imagination). It's the possibilities this object/situation awakens within us... a place that well might have been lying dormant, just patiently awaiting this one moment to connect with our senses.

But why question when it's giving us this freedom to know. We begin conceiving - planning our interpretation: the how's, the when's, the where's. All these questions seeking an understanding, a 'knowing' so the next step can be taken. The why's have already become understood... there's no need to 'why.' The 'who's' is a useless question at this stage - it''s nobody's.... it's conceptual, only an idea, albeit a strong one, but it hasn't manifested it's Self. That the next step.

With knowing this inspiration, we proceed to creating our reflection, (provided courtesy of the senses), of that one singular object/situation that embraced us, giving us momentum to reach this point and gifting us the ability to create the inspiration.

Whatever the creation, whatever materials are used, this sacrifice of Self becomes part of the creation. It has imbibed with our Self, absorbing our energy as we absorb the creation. Mirror-like we both reflect and absorb the effect of the art.

All art can be seen as results of one of the senses being pinnacled over the others, the culmination - eye (seeing) art: painting, drawing, architecture, photography or even film; ear (hearing) art: music, singing, dance, poets and actors; nose (smelling) art: although more rare, the sense of smell must be acute to chefs, bakers and candy makers... a close second with the sense of taste, who could well add dessert artists to the list. The sense of touch would be necessary to a sculptor, the rug/fabric weaver clothes designers... all arts that are tactilely performed to their interpretation.

Stage art, (the art of creating a play), has three components of art working together, (depending upon the size of the performance) : visual art (theater), music, (including dance) and story-telling. The sense of smell or the usage of the taste buds is not necessary to fulfill our entertainment.

Writing... is it visual? We see the words we write, but what senses are being awakened to the words? We read the words, see the art of using the words to convey intent to the reader, but don't we hear the words as they are read? I hear the written word, but not as a perceptible sound to others (unless I'm reading out loud, of course), but however silently the words are put to sound, I hear them. So writing uses both eye and ear to know the art of writing. True, good writing could inspire one's other three senses to respond... a wonderfully described meal, for example to make the taste buds drool in anticipation of trying the meal; the sense of smell may become active, seeking out the well-describe scent of a fire consuming a tire warehouse or the delicate aroma of a woman's perfume; a well written passage on the tactile excitement of touching a loved one's body from head to toe and all tender places in between can become so real due to the passion the writer puts into the words.

There are as many levels of art as there is human potential, as there is inspiration ready to be taken to the next level. Knowing, conceiving, creating that one thing that we sense we must do has been responsible for all our arts. The greater amount of desire (passion), that is transferred into the object/situation through the ability of the artist, the more desirable the art becomes.

Who knows why the paintings of Van Gogh have so much desirability as they do? The passion that went into the music of Beethoven still lives 180 years after his death (and despite his loss of hearing, he heard the music he wrote). The voice of Elvis still inspires the listener, the voice of Caruso still inspires... the great weavings from Europe's Medievil Period or the Native American rugs, the historical record of mankind's clothing, all tactile arts. Although the sense of smell cannot (yet) be preserved by other than words, we have imagination to project us into past times and the smells of the day that permeated the environment of post towns, mountain villas... name your spot and attempt to describe the smells, the aromas of freshly baked breads out for sale in the streets of London... imagine the tastes of the meals that were prepared daily in 1776 Boston.

Our senses take precedence over each other: the visual works closely with hearing through much of our lives, leaving smell and taste behind touch, even though we use the phrase 'it touched me,' Perhaps this touch indicates a sensory awakening that felt like a touch, either softly or an outright slap!

Providing our species survives, maybe a 1,000 years from now, the sense of smell and taste will become more important to survival than sight or hearing. We may all be blinded or mutes unable to hear anything but the constant sound of imagination working it's mojo on us. The sense of touch would become more important - from #3 to maybe #2 or even #3. It would depend upon the severity of need at the moment (as it always does...).

Art is the final legacy of man... our conclusion of creativity. It's not so much a final product, but an on-going process that continues as long as we continue... continue creating that reflection of our Self. It doesn't always manifest the Self, but the process requires keeping the senses alive with practice, with patience, with desire and hope... hope that we will leave this life knowing we sensed the mystery of what lies beyond this creation.

Have an impressive New Years Eve and create a 2008 for everyone to sense fondly in 2009 and beyond.

Smile!

Cecil
Last Stream of 2006 on the last day of the year.

I will chew on this one for a while....felice annee nuevo compadre....

thanks for the stream, Cecil!!!
feliz 2007 and beyond..!!!!!!!!
saludos,

Arcadia (smiling)

lovely wandering stream Cecil.

Aimless Wandering: Chuang Tzu's Chaos Linguistics
by Hakim Bey
The bait is the means to get the fish where you want it, catch the fish and you forget the bait. The snare is the means to get the rabbit where you want it, catch the rabbit and forget the snare. Words are the means to get the idea where you want it, catch on to the idea and you forget about the words. Where shall I find a man who forgets about words, and have a word with him?
-Chuang Tzu
http://www.strange-loops.com/philhakimc ... stics.html

Where shall I find a man who forgets about words, and have a word with him?

I like that.