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Defining personal visions
Jes Brinch 1999/2004
Art and consciousness.
The main material of art today is the consciousness of the artist. The media, such as canvas, paint, clay, bronze, photo, computer, objects and installation, are only the means for communicating the idea, concept or message of the artist, to the audience. Art is thus a means for communication between human beings. Ideally this communication should be open and put artist and audience on an equal level to facilitate a mutual dialogue. The real aim of art is to establish a platform for existential investigations and discussions, on different premises than other fields of activity, such as philosophy and politics can do. Art’s potential is that it can be a field for existential discussions, and do not have to prove itself, like for example a political ideology have to do, but can work purely as a suggestion to investigate reality, the human condition and debate our values for life. This is the foundational work that has to been done by the artist today. Secondly the artist has to find a way to express herself in a way that is directly understandable and relevant to the cultural context she is working in.
Forget the past.
Leave behind all ideas of how an artwork should look or be. And forget all about how an artist should be, act or dress, and what other artists made before, and what they’ve said. You are not Picasso and never will be. You are uniquely yourself, in a different time, at a different place, and that is exactly your potential, and what you have to work with. Your art will only be relevant if you start from yourself and your own actual life situation, with all its qualities, faults and shortcomings. Accept yourself as you are and stop acting. Embrace your life as it is, and understand it in its totality, without staging an “artistic” life with all its theatrical eccentricities. Make art that’s relevant within the cultural context in which you live. Stop copying. Develop an artistic expression that takes life now as its starting point, instead of repeating romantic notions. Define a new way of functioning as an artist, and create an authentic contemporary artistic expression. If you make a contemporary artistic expression the whole world will listen. The interest is there… So do it!
Liberate yourself.
To create a solid basis for making art you will have to liberate yourself from all the conventional hang-ups so you can work freely. Define your own reality. Don’t passively accept the social role you have been given by somebody else. Find your own potential. The basis for an artistic vision, or an honest personal project, is a total liberation of the artist’s consciousness from conditioning norms and conventions. A personal eradication of the entire system that we are raised to think and define ourselves according to is necessary. Mentally leave behind family, education, tradition, social positions, gender roles, prejudices, expectations and ideas about how you are or how art should be. Live your life as YOU think it should be lived, and share your experiences with everybody else, in a generous and open way.
Define your own vision.
You have to find out what and who you are, apart from all you have been taught and have been programmed to be. You must take responsibility yourself, define yourself, speak for yourself, and create your own social context. You can’t just follow tradition or follow everybody else, as you did in school. You have to redefine everything. What is your vision? What are you about? What are your values? What do you have to give to other people? What do you want to say? How do you want to say it?
Share your vision.
The moment you communicate your vision, you will realise that a lot of people are thinking about the same things, asking the same questions, and are interested in discussing with you, support you and collaborate with you, if you are able to open up to others. To define your personal vision can paradoxically be a very social project. The most personal are also the most common and easily understood by other people.
Undo the ego.
Self-analysis and self-critique is a condition for not becoming self-indulged and repeating the mistakes and conventionalism of earlier times, such as the antiquated role of the artist as an eccentric genius beyond the judgement of normal people or as a spokesman for god, a demonic alcoholic or whatever clever excuses have been made for ego-trips in the past. You have to undo the restrictive ego, which constrains every kind of creative thinking and action. Undo the ego that only thinks about I, me and mine; my safety, my career, my money, my pride, my insecurity, my project, my ideas, my genius. When the ego is conquered, it leaves room for creativity, openness, fantasy, empathy and multi-dimensional reflection. If you simply observe yourself and let go of your thoughts, your personality will disappear, as well as your fixed definitions of reality. Everything becomes more open and clear. This leaves room for more dynamic ways of experiencing, thinking and working than we are normally used to. Art can be a field for experimentation with all these things and forms of consciousness, if we want.
What can a free mind create?
A personal vision is of course individual. It’s logical that you must start from yourself, your own life, and define your own opinions, to have a personal vision. If you liberate yourself and live openly without defences it will be visible in your artworks. Develop tenderness, openness, calmness, empathy, as well as ability to listen to yourself and others, without having to prove, legitimate or create anything. Art can be an investigation of life, the human condition and the world, starting from your self. If it’s expressed in an open dialogue with the world, both you and other people can learn from it.
Time.
To be able to do these things and develop news visions and ways of communication through art, you need time. It takes time to think the thoughts, feel the feelings and experience the experiences, as well as to dissolve the constricting ego from within. You need time to introspection, self-analysis, reflection, meditation, definition of your own vision, time to practical experiments, trial and error, time to communicate your ideas, evaluate them and receive constructive critique, as well adjustment of your project, and time to find balance in daily life situations, so that your work and private life do not have to be separate and conflicting spheres of activity. Long periods of inactivity can be very important for introspection and reflection, and should never be underestimated. Human beings are not built to be constantly active, but need periods of inactivity to assimilate new input and knowledge, and integrate life and vision into a coherent whole. Time is essential for the development of an authentic artistic project. Give yourself time to think. Don’t force yourself, but let things appear naturally. Give yourself time to reflect on your experiences and the world you live in. Good ideas often appear spontaneously after longer periods of inactivity and even boredom. Boredom can thus be very beneficial seen in a larger perspective, even though it may seem pointless to the materialistic mind focussed on concrete results. Of course our economic condition is always restricting our possibilities, and we have to earn a living somehow. Think positively and find as many alternatives as possible. Choose the alternative that leaves most space for the way of life you prefer. Don’t worry about social status or about being rich and famous. These are only illusory goals that make you passive and kill creativity.
Communicate.
Art should be for all, not only a select few. Therefore generosity is very important to the artistic expression. Share your ideas and visions with others, instead of making art secret or private. Make free access to the idea or content of the artwork for everybody, even though they do not have any pre-knowledge of art. Create art consciously that can be used and understood by all. Don’t make art for yourself alone, and go beyond private studio experiments. It is the artist’s responsibility that art can be understood. Don’t depend on art historians, critics, curators, journalists and gallery owners to explain your art. Be independent - Do it yourself. It’s your own responsibility. Communicate. If you explain your art yourself it brings you closer to the audience, and makes it easier for the public to access your artwork. The challenge now is to create an international dialogue about art and the human condition, across cultures, generation gaps, social positions and artistic media. Open your mind and communicate! There will be plenty of interest for your ideas, opinions and projects!
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