My spiritual exercises
petak, 29.09.2023.
IS ART AN EXPRESSION OF THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND?
(“Da li je umjetnost izraz nesvjesnog uma?” Ovo je pitanje bilo postavljeno na jednom forumu pod naslovom Quora pa sa njega prenosim ovdje par zanimljivih mišljenja, jasno, također i u vezi sa ovom zadnjom serijom postova)
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Art can be considered an expression of the unconscious mind, as it can be a way for artists to explore and express their deepest thoughts, feelings, and desires. In the field of psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both believed that art is a way to tap into the unconscious mind, and that the symbols and motifs in art can reveal insights into the artist's psyche. Additionally, many contemporary artists also use their work as a means of exploring the unconscious mind, as well as their own personal experiences and feelings.
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As an artist, I would like to give a visual picture of mind’s interaction with creativity. Mind could be imagined as an iceberg floating on the sea. The conscious part is above water, The subconscious part is below water. The unconscious part is the sea itself. The subconscious part is not always below water. As the berg bobs up and down, parts of the subconscious come into the conscious mind. When it storms, much larger part of the berg can be exposed and conscious parts can submerge. Stormy times are emotional times, often the matrix of creativity.
We can not create consciously without some influence of the subconscious mind. Even the most conceptually controlled creating will betray elements of the style and character of the artist’s deep inner self. That part is inextricably linked with creativity and goes to the deepest part of our being. Deeper still is the unconscious mind.
I will liken the sea of the unconscious mind to Jung’s collective unconscious. One could equally apply terms such as, ground of all being, Plato’s realm of eternal forms, Brahman, the Tao, etc. This is the water of life from which all icebergs originate. It's influence is never ending because it is the essence out of which all “icebergs” or individual minds come. Therefore, it is the source of all creativity. I contend that the only time we are truly creative is when we can tap into the unconscious mind.
Tapping into the unconscious mind is participating in the flow of creativity from the center of all creation. You know those times when you are in the creative “flow” because you are in a “zone” where time, space, thoughts of the personal ego, etc., dissappear. This state is equivalent to the deeper states of meditation when we are accessing purer states of consciousness. Conscious and subconscious actually merge into “superconscious”. The trick is to remain in touch with this state while not allowing the conscious or rational part to “take over” until the initial creation is complete.
The idea of allowing the free flow of creativity from the subconscious or unconscious mind is not new. Pure creativity of the subconscious kind has been called “pure psychic automatism” among other things. Several notable artists of this school are Andre Breton, Joan Miro, Francis Bacon, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, etc. Others propose a pure creativity of the unconscious mind. In this school are artists as Leigh McCloskey, Freydoon Rassouli, Zen Art, intuitive art, etc.
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Art has been used as a therapeutic tool for many years. Back in 1810 a German psychiatrist Johann Christian Reill positively encouraged his patients to paint. His colleagues thought it was a way of diverting them from their problems but he insisted it was rather an attempt to put them in touch with their “passions”, their inner desires, hurts and fears. Since that time many psychiatrists and psychoanalysts have discovered that when people paint freely they are able to express feelings and give a form to fears and terrors on paper that they are quite unable to express in words. Art as therapy is, quite simply, a direct way of communicating with the unconscious.
