Aussie Dreams

Someone posted a question in the guest book, which needs fixing—leaving my name as the sender.

“Dear Eden,

“At which point can/should the artist’s true voice be free of conditioning and culture—In Australian Aboriginal language, there are many words equivalent to ‘we’ but no word to say ‘I’. The tribe is all there is, and tradition is law. Their artistic inspiration is what they call ‘my (my tribe’s) dreaming’ yet Australian contemporary Aboriginal Art is considered the only real original ‘art movement’ since the 80’s. Any thoughts?”

My response:

When an outsider inquired as to why the Aboriginal man made cave art, he replied: “I don’t make art … the hand spirit makes art.”

The Aboriginal man’s answer implies that his art is born out of spirit, not ego.

If there is no word for ‘I’ in the lexicon, then each person must have a name to distinguish one from another.

Tradition and culture are not the enemy. Mindless tradition and culture are the culprits. Following tradition means repetition. Breaking free from the past demands courage and a vision. Then, no longer entrapped by the opinion of others, the artist creates new work, evolved work, unique work.

“Australian contemporary Aboriginal Art is considered the only real original ‘art movement’ since the 80’s.”

Who says so?

Art is not about trends, movements, fashion, or wavering tastes.

Art isn’t an ‘ism’. All the ‘isms’ that define the various art movements over the years have nothing to do with the creation of art. Who will be the next groundbreaking artist? This isn’t up to the artist who does what he does. There is only one breakthrough in art of any value to the artist, and that is truth.

Wassily, The Blue Rider

Yes, the title of this post is a cliche, and such banalities are on my verboten list. But, it is okay to use a cliche if you do so on purpose and not out of mindlessness.

Whenever some situation arises and it seems that the ‘fault’ lies with some other party or entity—stop from having an immediate opinion. Let things settle before mouthing off. Once said, it cannot be unsaid.

In the end, you may discover that the issue was pilot error, your lapse for whatever the reason. And then, you will be proud of yourself for having had the self-discipline and awareness to see things as they are, not as you thought they were.

This principle also connects with art. Don’t prejudge. Let your art develop by getting out of the way. If the art isn’t happening, then it is your own interference and frustration at work. You need not be better than any other artist; you need only be your unique self.

An artist told me that she loves to capture things in her art. In my work, I am dedicated to unleashing that which wants to be born. 

Multitasking

For those who missed the Xanadu Webinar as noted in my previous post with me as guest speaker, you can hear the audio here. I feel you will find the information of great value.

Jason Horejs, who generously hosted the Webinar, is the progressive and forward thinking owner of the successful Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Note that Jason is also the author of “Starving to Success”—a fine primer on how to best approach galleries with your artwork.

If you are interested in participating in this valuable free event, register by clicking on the link here.

J. Jason Horejs, owner of the Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, and I will discuss topics listed above and more.

Please pass on this information to artists (and art lovers) who might find this Webinar of value. Thanks.

Stealth

I watched a documentary the other evening featuring a team from the West who went deep into the uncharted New Guinea jungle. They were in search of a remote mountain Stone Age people who were untouched by modern times.

Trekking through the lush unmapped jungle was grueling and dangerous—from headhunters to poisonous snakes. When the team reached their destination, the tribesmen were not pleased to see them. Eventually, although there was an agreement to have a peaceful interchange, the air was rife with tension.

The tribe lived in a seemingly unbearable and inhospitable environment: stifling humidity, pestering flies, mosquitos, dangerous animals, diseases, and so on. They did live in houses built some 60 feet above ground; apparently, flies and mosquitoes did not often soar that high. These tribal people mostly segregated men and women, and they did not see a correlation between sex and children.

Finding food was the tribe’s main activity; the villagers ate most anything. If you were offered one of their ‘tasty’ delicacies like skewered rat, you accepted if you wanted to keep your head.

There were birds on the menu. No big game in this jungle, and no invention of the wheel either, which would be of no use in the nearly impenetrable harsh thicket.

Why were these Stone Age people living in this hostile environment in the first place? Yes, humanity does have a knack for adapting, but why adapt to such a dangerous way of life? Did ancestors from the remote past think that this was a good place to settle?

Except for some sort of payback in raiding another village and headhunting, it didn’t seem that any of the tribe’s people ventured out beyond their jungle turf to explore the world beyond. These folk, born and mind controlled from birth, accepted reality, and its seeming limitations as it was.

Are we modern humans any different? We are born to believe that we are a member of a country, a region, a clan, a belief system, a religion, a philosophy, name your dogma. How many question this cultural conceit? How many do anything about it?

The true artist breaks down the mindless artifices of civilization, and must pay the price for doing so.