WEBVTT
00:00:18.274 --> 00:00:19.655
Welcome to Creative Labyrinths.
00:00:23.181 --> 00:00:33.856
This is the second Full Moon episode where I speak about a topic or a concept that I've been sitting with for the last month.
00:00:35.999 --> 00:00:40.606
Kind of an audio journal meditation.
00:00:40.646 --> 00:00:46.253
And this month I've chosen to talk about risk.
00:00:48.962 --> 00:01:00.997
because I've noticed in my work a sense of stagnation or plateauing of development.
00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:12.412
A development in output and a development in approach to whatever project it is that I'm working on.
00:01:15.856 --> 00:01:25.853
And Because of this stagnation, everything that I was creating wasn't striking a chord with me.
00:01:29.078 --> 00:01:36.989
And I was starting to find each piece being lifeless and something that I didn't believe in.
00:01:37.028 --> 00:01:41.314
And this really bothered me.
00:01:41.355 --> 00:02:55.423
And I started to be concerned that maybe in a neurotic sense that my kind of creative spell had run dry and i didn't necessarily believe in that but that was just a series of thoughts that i was wrestling with and i found that i was swimming in an area of safety in the things that i was creating and this safety that i had felt in I suppose having work released into the public and I guess the reception and the feedback had in some way validated the value or the worth of that output and it started to play with my mind a little bit and I discovered that I was creating these artificial limits on what it was that I was creating and I was less likely to take risks in my paintings or my writing or my music or even this podcast as an example.
00:02:56.846 --> 00:03:05.578
And one self-benefiting reason of doing these Full Moon episodes every month is that it's like a catalyst for change for me.
00:03:05.617 --> 00:03:08.181
It's confronting.
00:03:08.201 --> 00:03:25.209
I can't rely on a guest to bounce off over a long format episode It's just me in my studio with my mind and my voice and my experience, I suppose.
00:03:27.072 --> 00:03:30.457
And so this element of risk was something that I was noticing was lacking.
00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:46.691
And I began to approach my creations and my creative process by taking chances, by Trying to discover the ways that I was playing it safe.
00:03:49.114 --> 00:04:09.700
And it was really scary on some level because part of the fears that were grumbling underneath was if I take all these risks and start creating artworks, let's talk about that for the time being because that's where my center of gravity is at the moment in painting.
00:04:10.483 --> 00:04:12.725
If I start creating these paintings that...
00:04:14.370 --> 00:04:23.300
don't really strike a chord with anybody, and I've taken all of these risks, then my artistic integrity is going to be affected.
00:04:23.341 --> 00:04:31.310
Now, when I talk about the thoughts that I'm having in my mind, I am not saying that I completely identify with all of them.
00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:37.216
These are just like bubbles from the subconscious coming to the conscious mind that I'm becoming aware of.
00:04:37.778 --> 00:05:39.312
And it's in those moments that they're brought to the light that I can see that they were affecting my process and when they brought to the light then i can work through them and dissolve them into knowledge into fuel for the creative process itself and so then approaching each new creative work when i sit down to paint or if i sit down to write or start composing then I had to change my attitude and my perception of what it was that I was doing it because quite easily the approach that we take towards a creative project will determine a lot of times how it unfolds and there was some subtle changes that were happening in that and I had realized that at the beginning When I was writing music or when I was painting, there was so much more of a carefree attitude because I felt like I didn't have anything to lose.
00:05:40.713 --> 00:05:50.750
And then when you establish yourself over some time, I was noticing that there was a grasping to maintain that integrity.
00:05:50.790 --> 00:06:04.425
And it's such a paradox because it's actually in embracing the chaos and taking risks that That is the vivifying element inside of the artworks that I create, inside of the creative things that I do.
00:06:04.464 --> 00:06:08.750
And yet I was trying to replicate that.
00:06:08.790 --> 00:06:11.331
And that's just not going to work.
00:06:11.392 --> 00:06:14.315
It's a foot on the accelerator and a foot on the brake at the same time.
00:06:15.036 --> 00:06:27.069
And so I realize now every time that I sit down to paint, for instance, is a completely fresh and brand new experience for me.
00:06:27.233 --> 00:06:44.095
In the Zen school of Japan or the Chan school of China, they have something called the beginner's mind, which is to approach each thing as though you are fresh.
00:06:45.677 --> 00:06:48.781
And I was realizing that I was getting stuck in a rut, I suppose.
00:06:48.901 --> 00:06:51.404
And that's where that stagnation and that plateauing was happening.
00:06:52.745 --> 00:06:55.350
And by approaching this...
00:06:56.545 --> 00:07:58.033
now with a beginner's mindset like I had nothing to lose and each artwork that I was creating was me sitting down in a type of self-examination self-inquiry session and as the artwork begins I'm literally being moved by pure creative impulse and trying to remove or it's not really about trying to remove but it's about being as passive with the mind as possible and removing the self from the equation of the artwork and just allowing that impulse to move through and it was tremendously liberating and surprisingly i discovered that the artwork came alive in this beautiful, unique and life-filled way.
00:07:58.053 --> 00:08:03.600
And there was nothing that I could do to bring that about through planning.
00:08:05.541 --> 00:08:27.137
And one of the challenges of this is that when I'm trying to create a body of work, for instance, with painting and visual art, when I'm trying to create a body of work, it's very hard to tie all of the pieces together when each thing is approached with this aspect of chaos and risk-taking.
00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:32.903
And that alone is a concept, what it means to have a body of work.
00:08:33.003 --> 00:08:39.429
And I've created all of these concepts over time about what a good collection of art should be.
00:08:39.450 --> 00:09:04.239
And all of these concepts that are learnt from past experience and have been taught to me from school and from other creative peers and mentors, etc., etc., bit by bit, I'm breaking them down and dissolving them one by one so that the creative output can be as pure and as authentic and unadulterated as possible.
00:09:06.423 --> 00:09:21.684
And it is truly liberating and I must confess that it is an emotionally laborious task for me to engage in because I take...
00:09:22.337 --> 00:11:02.273
the dynamic of stagnation in my creative work as an indicator that I am I suppose being lazy and not challenging myself and so by talking about risks we talk about challenging and we talk about limits and how all of these things combine themselves into the micro psychological dynamics of the creative process itself so I urge you if you are willing to reflect on your own creative process even whilst in the face of creating to see the elements of your process where you play it safe because i truly believe that even the impulse to take a risk is creativity in itself because it's brand new brand new in relation to what we've been doing before and by suppressing that by muting that it's removing one of the purest forms of creation and creating in the creative process itself and it kind of seems antithetical so I don't challenge you, but I invite you to reflect in your own work any of the areas where you feel like you play it safe.
00:11:02.874 --> 00:11:19.293
And then I also invite you to experiment and maybe even to set as a task or as a goal to do at least one or two creative projects that is just pure spontaneity, pure chaos projects.
00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:24.777
just to see what springs forth from you without any constraint or control.
00:11:24.817 --> 00:11:35.711
And I would be tremendously curious to hear your feedback and your reflections on that process if you choose to do that.
00:11:38.215 --> 00:11:49.149
And I will also pledge side by side that that is something that I will keep in the center of my practices day in and day out.
00:11:52.865 --> 00:11:58.714
So that's all I had to say for this month's Full Moon episode.
00:11:58.734 --> 00:12:13.653
In the name of risk-taking and challenging yourself, my name is Cameron and this is Creative Labyrinths.
00:00:18.274 --> 00:00:19.655
Welcome to Creative Labyrinths.
00:00:23.181 --> 00:00:33.856
This is the second Full Moon episode where I speak about a topic or a concept that I've been sitting with for the last month.
00:00:35.999 --> 00:00:40.606
Kind of an audio journal meditation.
00:00:40.646 --> 00:00:46.253
And this month I've chosen to talk about risk.
00:00:48.962 --> 00:01:00.997
because I've noticed in my work a sense of stagnation or plateauing of development.
00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:12.412
A development in output and a development in approach to whatever project it is that I'm working on.
00:01:15.856 --> 00:01:25.853
And Because of this stagnation, everything that I was creating wasn't striking a chord with me.
00:01:29.078 --> 00:01:36.989
And I was starting to find each piece being lifeless and something that I didn't believe in.
00:01:37.028 --> 00:01:41.314
And this really bothered me.
00:01:41.355 --> 00:02:55.423
And I started to be concerned that maybe in a neurotic sense that my kind of creative spell had run dry and i didn't necessarily believe in that but that was just a series of thoughts that i was wrestling with and i found that i was swimming in an area of safety in the things that i was creating and this safety that i had felt in I suppose having work released into the public and I guess the reception and the feedback had in some way validated the value or the worth of that output and it started to play with my mind a little bit and I discovered that I was creating these artificial limits on what it was that I was creating and I was less likely to take risks in my paintings or my writing or my music or even this podcast as an example.
00:02:56.846 --> 00:03:05.578
And one self-benefiting reason of doing these Full Moon episodes every month is that it's like a catalyst for change for me.
00:03:05.617 --> 00:03:08.181
It's confronting.
00:03:08.201 --> 00:03:25.209
I can't rely on a guest to bounce off over a long format episode It's just me in my studio with my mind and my voice and my experience, I suppose.
00:03:27.072 --> 00:03:30.457
And so this element of risk was something that I was noticing was lacking.
00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:46.691
And I began to approach my creations and my creative process by taking chances, by Trying to discover the ways that I was playing it safe.
00:03:49.114 --> 00:04:09.700
And it was really scary on some level because part of the fears that were grumbling underneath was if I take all these risks and start creating artworks, let's talk about that for the time being because that's where my center of gravity is at the moment in painting.
00:04:10.483 --> 00:04:12.725
If I start creating these paintings that...
00:04:14.370 --> 00:04:23.300
don't really strike a chord with anybody, and I've taken all of these risks, then my artistic integrity is going to be affected.
00:04:23.341 --> 00:04:31.310
Now, when I talk about the thoughts that I'm having in my mind, I am not saying that I completely identify with all of them.
00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:37.216
These are just like bubbles from the subconscious coming to the conscious mind that I'm becoming aware of.
00:04:37.778 --> 00:05:39.312
And it's in those moments that they're brought to the light that I can see that they were affecting my process and when they brought to the light then i can work through them and dissolve them into knowledge into fuel for the creative process itself and so then approaching each new creative work when i sit down to paint or if i sit down to write or start composing then I had to change my attitude and my perception of what it was that I was doing it because quite easily the approach that we take towards a creative project will determine a lot of times how it unfolds and there was some subtle changes that were happening in that and I had realized that at the beginning When I was writing music or when I was painting, there was so much more of a carefree attitude because I felt like I didn't have anything to lose.
00:05:40.713 --> 00:05:50.750
And then when you establish yourself over some time, I was noticing that there was a grasping to maintain that integrity.
00:05:50.790 --> 00:06:04.425
And it's such a paradox because it's actually in embracing the chaos and taking risks that That is the vivifying element inside of the artworks that I create, inside of the creative things that I do.
00:06:04.464 --> 00:06:08.750
And yet I was trying to replicate that.
00:06:08.790 --> 00:06:11.331
And that's just not going to work.
00:06:11.392 --> 00:06:14.315
It's a foot on the accelerator and a foot on the brake at the same time.
00:06:15.036 --> 00:06:27.069
And so I realize now every time that I sit down to paint, for instance, is a completely fresh and brand new experience for me.
00:06:27.233 --> 00:06:44.095
In the Zen school of Japan or the Chan school of China, they have something called the beginner's mind, which is to approach each thing as though you are fresh.
00:06:45.677 --> 00:06:48.781
And I was realizing that I was getting stuck in a rut, I suppose.
00:06:48.901 --> 00:06:51.404
And that's where that stagnation and that plateauing was happening.
00:06:52.745 --> 00:06:55.350
And by approaching this...
00:06:56.545 --> 00:07:58.033
now with a beginner's mindset like I had nothing to lose and each artwork that I was creating was me sitting down in a type of self-examination self-inquiry session and as the artwork begins I'm literally being moved by pure creative impulse and trying to remove or it's not really about trying to remove but it's about being as passive with the mind as possible and removing the self from the equation of the artwork and just allowing that impulse to move through and it was tremendously liberating and surprisingly i discovered that the artwork came alive in this beautiful, unique and life-filled way.
00:07:58.053 --> 00:08:03.600
And there was nothing that I could do to bring that about through planning.
00:08:05.541 --> 00:08:27.137
And one of the challenges of this is that when I'm trying to create a body of work, for instance, with painting and visual art, when I'm trying to create a body of work, it's very hard to tie all of the pieces together when each thing is approached with this aspect of chaos and risk-taking.
00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:32.903
And that alone is a concept, what it means to have a body of work.
00:08:33.003 --> 00:08:39.429
And I've created all of these concepts over time about what a good collection of art should be.
00:08:39.450 --> 00:09:04.239
And all of these concepts that are learnt from past experience and have been taught to me from school and from other creative peers and mentors, etc., etc., bit by bit, I'm breaking them down and dissolving them one by one so that the creative output can be as pure and as authentic and unadulterated as possible.
00:09:06.423 --> 00:09:21.684
And it is truly liberating and I must confess that it is an emotionally laborious task for me to engage in because I take...
00:09:22.337 --> 00:11:02.273
the dynamic of stagnation in my creative work as an indicator that I am I suppose being lazy and not challenging myself and so by talking about risks we talk about challenging and we talk about limits and how all of these things combine themselves into the micro psychological dynamics of the creative process itself so I urge you if you are willing to reflect on your own creative process even whilst in the face of creating to see the elements of your process where you play it safe because i truly believe that even the impulse to take a risk is creativity in itself because it's brand new brand new in relation to what we've been doing before and by suppressing that by muting that it's removing one of the purest forms of creation and creating in the creative process itself and it kind of seems antithetical so I don't challenge you, but I invite you to reflect in your own work any of the areas where you feel like you play it safe.
00:11:02.874 --> 00:11:19.293
And then I also invite you to experiment and maybe even to set as a task or as a goal to do at least one or two creative projects that is just pure spontaneity, pure chaos projects.
00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:24.777
just to see what springs forth from you without any constraint or control.
00:11:24.817 --> 00:11:35.711
And I would be tremendously curious to hear your feedback and your reflections on that process if you choose to do that.
00:11:38.215 --> 00:11:49.149
And I will also pledge side by side that that is something that I will keep in the center of my practices day in and day out.
00:11:52.865 --> 00:11:58.714
So that's all I had to say for this month's Full Moon episode.
00:11:58.734 --> 00:12:13.653
In the name of risk-taking and challenging yourself, my name is Cameron and this is Creative Labyrinths.
