Tag Archives: art

What Artists Can Teach Us About Parenting

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Among the first questions I asked myself when I became a parent was: “what parenting book should I read now? Which is the best one?”. What the article below has taught me is that sometimes even an easy read can be more illuminating than all the books in the world. Make no mistake, there is a lot of knowledge that parents should absorb and parenting books are important. But so are little gems like this one, tiny pearls of perfectly concentrated wisdom, ready for you to integrate:

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artists-teach-parenting^

Parenting advice should always be taken with a BIG grain of salt. I personally think that parenting is not as scary or complex as it seems. I stand by my opinion that it’s down to three basic behaviors^. But then again, even though I’m a father, I’m a man, so what do I know?!

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The Great Work

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The concept of a life’s Great Work is often mentioned in association with famous artists, social leaders, scientists and so on. That is simply because the Great Works of these people went on to influence very many others. However, we all have these experiential masterpieces hidden within us, just waiting to be manifested fully. It’s not a matter of fame at all. A Work is Great if even one being is greatly thankful for it.

Life has an infinite amount of potential. Often though, we find ourselves at a crossroads, unsure how to unlock what lies within. And this is where Robin’s book comes in. You can see it as a map for reaching a life’s hidden potential:

https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-You-Illusion-Accomplish-Great-ebook/dp/B01MSU561N^

The book’s description resonated deeply with me. I completely agree with the message. As I explained in a previous posting^, I am of the opinion that art is “anything that expresses free will in order to stimulate an intense emotional response”. By reinterpreting the definition of art and celebrating its myriad facets, I share the belief that a Great Work lies within everybody – as an obvious effect of the fact that we are all artists, expressing through our various professions. A scientist turns future-telling into art, a social leader turns communication into art and a good driver weaves speed and safety together into an artful drive.

I am extremely happy to see that this book exists. Having such a wide definition of art also means that I am very encouraging towards people to express their talent in any way they can. I would have loved to take this encouragement I have inside and put it into the perfect words for it to be transmitted. I realized I had this wish only when I learned about this book. I felt like lo and behold, the Universe has been merciful and here it is, a book that encourages and stokes the fire of creation and then some!

I believe we are all not only capable, but are right now completing our Great Works. Life is one’s Great Work. But sometimes, much of it remains under wraps, hidden in the “corner of hope” of our imagination. Let’s shine some light towards that corner and bring out the beauty!

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The Earth without Art Is Just Eh…

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This cute pun is quite old indeed by now, but I praise the anonymous that put forward these most beautiful words. A disarming, naked truth shines with amusement from this simple sentence, a lyrical gem.

Personally, by “art” I do not understand “the arts”, as in: “a rather limited range of accepted creative expression and style”. My definition of art is “anything that expresses free will to draw an intense emotional response”. Food can be art, coming up with a beautiful surprise for a friend can be art.

And when I say “free will”, I mean whatever each being uses as a motivator for actions. We call it “instinct” in other beings in order to separate it from the higher level of consciousness at which we believe ourselves to be. But a wolf has free will even if in its world it has a completely different (wolf-)rationalization than in ours.

From the long lasting to the ephemeral, art has infinite manifestations, just like the Universe that gave it birth. Living this life is the art we are all given time to perform.

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Lars Vilks’ Amazing Answer to Vandalism

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Controversial artist Lars Vilks worked for decades to maintain and champion a work of art^. Then, someone burned half of it to the ground. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the artist, his reply is the stuff of genius:

“I have my motto ‘everything is an advantage’. You always have to find something optimistic and art that’s subjected to violence always benefits from it, you have to comfort yourself with that.

“It gets interesting when things are happening. When you attack artworks it gets interesting. A work of art that nobody cares about disappears. This is tough action and a rather brutal form of art critique.”

If I were the person that set that fire, I’d be fuming over this reply. Not only is it true, but it also reveals a higher form of respect towards the intricate workings of human society. Checkmate!

http://www.thelocal.se/20161125/famous-lars-vilks-artwork-burns-to-the-ground^

Now I just wish people won’t start vandalizing art just to make it “interesting”.

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