I made a little book..... a few years back.... and this quote from Carl Gustav Jung... I wrote in it...
"The Artist's life cannot be other than full of conflicts,
For two forces are at war within him.
On the one hand, the common human longing for happiness, satisfaction, and security in life,
and on the other, a ruthless passion for creation which may go so far as to override every personal desire"
Carl Gustav Jung... 1875-1961... Swiss Psychologist, Therapist, Philosopher, Psychiatrist
16 comments:
Wish I could leaf through your book.... I love Jung! Have you read his autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections? It's a great book..much easier read than his more academic works and fascinating to glimpse him from the inside.
I have never read it. but he surely understands the tensions that inhabit the human mind...
Wish there were more hours in the day to indulge myself in this pure pleasures...
it is a balancing act to absorb what I can and do the work that is necessary to allow myself to absorb the pleasures..
I understand completely. Much of the book centers around how in his later years he decides to build himself a castle to be solitary in. I remember one part where he just plays in the sand and builds things with stick, pebbles and things.........
Oh my --- I am going to have to get it for sure now...I'll be right down there with him... to my childish delight!!
Oh I loved that book too. It is one of the seminal books of my life.
The book looks wonderful. I have been thinking about a homemade book lately, to make. I really like your "calligraphy" if you'd call it that, very appealing.
I have been feeling a conflict the last few days, that seems to be other than the two in this quote: it's the struggle in creative expressions (for me: poetry and photography) to find my authentic self and not just try to gain admiration from others. With Art, there is the aspect of connecting with others, so I think that is very important. But if I'm looking for applause, that does not seem authentic.
The "conclusion" I'm coming to is that if I go deep inside and express what is there in me, my creative expressions will connect with someone.
Also, art is a performance! Well, so is live in a way. So to some degree, it is important to "please others" == maybe in the wabi-sabi sense?
I meant to write "so is LIFE in a way."
It is on my book ordering list now...
Ruth with the depth of your thoughts, it is All in you ...Just be the "real" you;
when you feel happy with what you have done and it is the best you can do and you know it...
everyone who sees it will know and understand...
It is not for you to worry about what someone else might think... it is only how you feel and interpret the given thought...
It is your view...
Once again, I love reading the comments here by Ruth, Sharon and you. I was an avid reader in my
30's, 40's, and early 50's, philosophy, metaphysics, and traveler's tales, etc. I really never read anything specifically by Jung...but he sounds so interesting.
I would love to peek in that book. Your writing is beautiful.
For years, I would write my favorite passages of books on index cards and keep them in a box. Just about three days ago I was wondering where in the heck I put it. One of my favorite things in the mornings is to take my coffee outside and some of the cards I would find in certain books and sit with them, contemplate them, etc. Starts one's day off in a nice way.
I have way too many books around here, that's for sure and some day I need to lighten my load a little if we move.
sandy
Sandy what a lovely time of day and location to mull ideas over while listening to birds tweeters ...
... A wonderful way to start the day!
A family from Vancouver moved across Canada to the village a few years ago... one a book reviewer and one a professor/ antiquarian book collector...
They left furniture behind before they would leave their books... I think they moved something like 5000 lbs of books.
I agree, Gwen, I don't need to worry about what anyone else thinks. That's easier for me in photography than in poetry.
The other night I had my poetry group, and the poem I took for workshopping I loved! But none of them understood it, or thought it was working. It was deflating, but even more important, as an artist, I felt I had not connected with my readers. So there is a certain level of performance that is needed in art, that connection, don't you think? But yes, just trying to please anyone else, when I first and foremost need to please that authentic Me, is unnecessary (tho I do struggle with it).
Reading what you wrote about the work necessary to allow the pleasures, that's so interesting. The grass is always greener. As a person who doesn't live by what I create, there is not that pressure. On the contrary, I wish I had more free time for creative expressions. So for you, the pleasures are other things, like reading.
I wish I had less sleepy eyes at night (after computer work all day) to read too.
It might be telling you it's ... "Voluntary Graduation" Time...
What do you think?
Oh my pleasures... reading... having time to totally indulge myself in learning new things... time... painting... weaving... time...gardening... making good food... and more time...
It's possible it's graduation time. I don't know yet.
The other possibility is that there is something inside that poem that I love, and that I can do better at expressing it, that will connect with others more readily. It's a tough call, this writing thing.
A lovely book! :)
A great quote from Jung, it's so true of how an artist struggles.
Anet, I guess one of the struggles is making decisions... and then wondering if they were the right ones!!
...and hey lucky you for being the new care taker of one of Sharon's paintings!!... a piece of her work is coming my way too... I just can't believe it... and I know exactly the spot I'm going to put it!
Thanks for taking the time to drop by, Margaret Ann. I really enjoyed your drawings!
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