A Chip Off the Old Blog

Let us begin -by addressing the theme. The idea that madness and wisdom is close together is nothing new. I think it could be argued that the artistic process is an altered state -perhaps even a trance of some kind -that appears to be insanity. Some people think that art is impractical or even degenerate. In Plato’s Republic there was no room for an art that is contrary to the will of the state. In this way it is seen that art is not only dangerous -but a threat to the status-quo. It is my intent to speak of such things on this Blog. I want to convince you that art is integral -to the well-being of every community. I will talk of madness -and the link between the irrational and the creative process. In this series of Blogs -I will try to reach those people who believe (as I do) that art is the alternative to complacency and apathy. I intend to fulfil a promise -not to make a manifesto -for at its heart -art is anti-manifesto -in fact it is beyond all systems.

The internet is a new thing. Who knows where it’s going? It certainly makes the world smaller -and is a microcosm of the outer world. There are opinions here that are sometimes professional and sometimes a matter of common speculation. In every city -in every culture and in every sub-culture -there is what I call the pool. The pool is the internet and its influence on art and culture. The pool is the way people exchange ideas -when they interact on the internet. The pool is the way people discuss things in cafes, bars and gatherings. In this way the pool is the city -every culture and sub-culture. It is not the mass or a faceless, generic point of view. The pool is the ongoing conversation -an intimate sharing -and a starting point to revolution. It is not many things -but one thing -it is the world. A constant reappraisel of truth -a testing and free’ing from ignorance.

Men who are creative and men who are power hungry are like oil and water – of two divergent philosophies. As an artist -I know that my enemy (as Bette Davis once said) is the one who would stand between me and my work. The man who says ‘NO!’ to my ‘Yes.’ Such a voice of denial -is a fear of consequences -and fear is the death of art. One must invest money in the bank of the World or invest money in the bank of the Soul: these are the two opposing viewpoints. Moreover the artist is seen as a weakling by men who have no use for such things -who do not comprehend or see art as a necessity. Men are disturbed by the intensity of the creative force -it is overemotional and irrational. In a country or race -to understand such things is to look at the people who are a part of it. It is they who make up the culture of Man -and the artist knows all their stories.

The brutality of a power hungry criminal is seen in business and also the small time dealers on the streets -they mirror each other. Art is a refutation of this. The dissident voice (unlike what Plato said in the Republic) is the muscle of society. Question the Truth and it will strengthen. The seeking of knowledge is the process wherebye the consciousness of nations is awakened to new ideas. This is a searching where the man who follows what he loves the most -would gain his power. When we were children we were apart from society -our power was stolen from us. We tried to fit in -to find our place -but could not. We felt like strangers and outcasts. We were angry at ourselves for not being completly happy -like all the others. We began to express ourselves -and to steal back the lost power. We did this through the artistic sense -we remade God -and renewed our lives. Art is the untranslatable language -a foreign tongue from a country faraway. We who feel that we are lost in a world that does not know us – are citizens of this land. An artist is a sailor -who yearns for the sea. Art is a desire and a hunger for something we cannot hope to find. In this way -sometimes wanting is sweeter than having -we are involved in the seeking of new ideas.