Awareness is a huge part of why you do your art – both for you and your patrons.
The arts have been an expression of creativity and individuality that have been practiced for millennia. Whatever medium you choose to produce your art, it can be impactful in a lot of different ways.
My art is how I express myself to the world. Through the words I share I make efforts and attempts to bring positivity, conscious reality creation, mindfulness, and general inspiration to others.
There is, of course, selfishness within this act. Writing is a form of therapy for me.
This is not my only art. I also sing, cook, paint, and do woodworking from time to time. All of the arts I do help me to find that unique place where I am most present, but also most detached and connected at the same time.
This is the paradox of the artist, the athlete, and anyone who does any sort of practice that engages mindfulness. In the process, whether painting, meditating, doing yoga, fencing, or whatever else – you enter the void, what Musashi called the “place of no mind.”
On the one hand, this is the place of utter and perfect detachment. However, on the other hand, it’s a place of ultimate awareness.
Awareness can have many different meanings
Consciousness creates reality. However, reality is a matter up for debate. As Einstein said (and I frequently love to quote):
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
Every single person on this planet perceives reality in their own, individual, unique way. How I see the world is not the same as how you see it.
Many of our perceptions align and are similar – but they remain separate and unique. Those similarities, however, are what goes into the creation of the collective consciousness.
What is the collective consciousness?
The collective consciousness is what we recognize as the general, overall reality. It is in this place that societal norms are created and expected, moralities and ethos blend and conflict, and where we accept an overall belief in how the universe works.
Ergo, it’s why we agree that a tree is a tree, the grass is grass, stoplights are red, and so on. In a more intangible sense, this is where we agree on the week being seven days called Sunday through Saturday, money buys you stuff, and time has measure and limits.
Collective consciousness is like a big, soft, down blanket that everyone can shelter under.
Until, for some, it becomes a heavy weight, more of a spiny dinosaur, and rather than comfortable quite uncomfortable.
Artists, particularly, tend to do things that pull us out of the mainstream perception of reality. We create things that have their own energy, which often exists just outside of the collective consciousness.
Art, like reality, is a matter of perception. Two people can read the same book or view the same painting and have utterly opposite reactions to it. One may think the art is gorgeous and the book a piece of crap. The other may think it’s the best book they’ve ever read but the art is just awful.
This doesn’t lessen the impact of the power of awareness on the part of the artist. In fact, it adds emphasis.
Reacting to art
There are great works of literature I find utterly yawnable. They are hard to read, uninteresting, and can’t hold my attention. Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea comes to mind. This can be applied to all other arts – sculpture, food, music, movies, TV, and so on. All of the arts – an expression of the mindfulness of their creator – tend to cause a reaction.
Sometimes it’s a good reaction. Other times it’s not. Art may be inspiring, or it might be disheartening. Whatever happens, YOUR awareness is impacted by art.
The reaction art causes you is a thing of the moment. The present. You are in the here-and-now as this occurs. Awareness, the basis of mindfulness, is in the here-and-now. Being in the here-and-now is being conscious, and that helps you to create your personal reality.
Whatever reaction you have to the art you encounter, that reaction is a touch of mindfulness. That, in turn, can go a long way towards you being more present and experiencing life to its fullest.
Awareness is a huge part of why you do your art
One thing a lot of people dislike about artists is how they bring them into the present. Art of all kinds gets a reaction.
Positive, negative, even confused indecision about how it makes you feel are all valid reactions. And it’s not a subconscious thing, at least at first (great art can become subconscious as it sticks in your head and heart and is difficult to let go).
The Mona Lisa, for example, has this impact on many. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist has a similar impact on me. I have heard stories about a chocolate mousse that changes lives. Each of these expressions of their art form are impactful.
The awareness in art is a two-way street. When you, as the artist, create it – you are aware. The person who views/consumes your art – in their reaction becomes aware.
Art is an expression of awareness for not just artists, but everyone.
It is for this reason that support for the arts is so important to many people. Not just artists, but those who generally understand why the awareness evoked by art matters. This is how you get an idea into the collective consciousness. That idea, that spark of awareness has the potential to evoke change.
This is why creating art – whatever form you work in – is so powerful and important. Awareness for artists goes beyond artists to the patrons of their art, too.
During a time of crisis, such as we live in now, creating art is a gateway to creating a new and better normal. Being aware of this empowers you – and further opens you to empower others, too.
Don’t be afraid to make your art. Create with joy, passion, and awareness of the impact you can have on the world.
Use your power wisely!
Thank you for taking part in my ongoing journey. Thank you for joining me, and for inspiring me and my art.
This is the fifty-fifth article exploring the creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website, which I am working to evolve and change for the better…much like I am doing for myself. Also, visit Awareness for Everyone to check out my weekly podcasts.
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