Art is Alchemy: a Guide to Developing Your Artistic Vision

Chapter IV: Self-Realization -
Working With All That One Has, to Accomplish One's Ambitions

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Artists create work for their own edification as much as anyone else’s. This work is often more transformative for artists than it is for their audience.. In the Art is Alchemy series, I have likened the dedicated artist to the alchemist - a practitioner of an ancient practice of attempting to convert base metals into gold. But even the ancients understood that alchemy was as much about refining the alchemist as it was about transmuting raw material into the philosopher’s stone.



While artists work to transform their materials into an artwork that exudes their inward vision of life, they simultaneously undergo a process of self-refinement. Just like the alchemists, artists inevitably learn something about themselves every time they practice their art. One must observe one’s work closely and - like a sculptor with their block of stone - keep chipping away until the shape within becomes clearly visible. As an artist, what one sees always includes a part of oneself.

This process abides by old Hermetic wisdom: “As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…” The artist's external work of undertaking serious creative projects is reflected by a necessary upheaval of the superficial self. Chipping away at an unrefined block, artists use self-discovery in order to examine what truly lies within. Such examination is a primary endeavor for the artist seeking his authentic artistic vision. By choosing to discover what one truly believes, to discard all that is not authentic to who one really is, the artist leaves behind adopted world views in order to embark on the journey toward discovering their honest perspective on life. They can then instill this sense of true self into their work in a process of self-actualization.


I was once presented with three stages that an alchemist must pass through during this process of self-refinement, which I have been covering from the perspective of an artist over a series of three Steemit exclusive articles. These stages include:

1. Self-Discovery - Learning who one truly is and what one truly believes.
2. Self-Acceptance - Accepting the good with the bad, accepting ones strengths with ones weaknesses.
3. Self-Realization - Working with all that one has, to accomplish one’s ambitions

For those of you who have been following the series, you know that I wrote in chapter one about the first stage of refinement as self-discovery. As a refresher, chapter one deals with a phase of lengthy self-reflection in order to uncover one's true perspective on life. This involves contemplating the premises and implications of one's beliefs and worldview, how and why that worldview developed. It also asks the individual to reflect upon how their perspective on life filters the way they see and interact with the world. In this first stage of self-refinement, we challenge ourselves to discover how much of our worldview is truly authentic to who we are. What do you really believe?

The second chapter dealt with self-acceptance. To summarize, self-acceptance comes after discovering what one truly believes, in face of what has been discovered about one's false persona. It deals with the loneliness, resentment, and self-defeating conditions that many undeveloped individuals deal with while they are alienated from themselves. When we enter into ourselves to discover what is truly there, we may find a lot of things that we do not like. Instead of turning away or covering our true principles, values, and beliefs, we shine a light on them for the sake of understanding. In order to deal with unappealing character traits, and in order to discern between truly negative behaviors and simply undeveloped aspects that we have repressed (such as dreams or desires we suppress) we must accept ourself as we are.

This fourth chapter deals with third stage of self-realization. After discovering one's true values and perspective on life, accepting oneself for who they really are, they can then develop their strengths and carry out their ambitions. The self-realized artist is able to align their perspective on life with their creative vision. Just as the Hermetic principle of correspondence indicates, the artistic vision allows artists to simultaneously act both inwardly and outwardly. While working on an artwork, the artistic vision grants us the power to simultaneously observe our inward experience while analyzing our external experience. In the case of the artist, this means being able to observe the experience our artwork creates for how accurately it embodies our inner experience. This allows the artist to align their expression of their perspective on reality, their worldview, and their soul-level experience of life, with the artwork's visible experience - the visual embodiment of the artist's inward vision. To take hold of the invisible and make it visible, that is artistic self-expression of the highest order.

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Self-Realization

The third stage of artistic refinement - self-realization - is about fulfillment of the artistic vision through meaningful artwork, by honing in on the artist's strengths to accomplish their ambitions. When the self-realized artist works, they work with all that they have, within their creative limitations, to finish their artworks. Because the self-realized artist has accepted and befriended the inner critic, the artist can trust their own criticism to guide their work. The artist uses the most of their external and internal resources, creating with what they have, and engages in creative absorption. Creative limitations are established and accepted, the artist recognizing their benefits for developing depth and potency within the work. Likewise, the artist is also able to acknowledge when the direction of the piece has changed, and is able to be flexible. They are not locked in for fear of failure, as they accept failures as guiding lessons and insight. They then finish their project and begin anew.

We can say that those who become extraordinary are those who have become true individuals, and developed all of their talents and capacities to the full. Perhaps the urge to individuate is a potential we all possess, but only a few ever realize. Distress can activate the will to individuate, and individuation makes one extraordinary. The process of individuation carries within it the vital process of self-realization.

Self-realization has little to do with self-improvement. Self-realization focuses on revealing and enhancing one’s strengths, while self-improvement is focused on propping up or eliminating one’s weaknesses. To put it another way: self-realization is the achievable development of one’s actual capabilities, one’s genuine qualities, and one’s authentic character. Self-improvement is too often the futile attempt to place a spotlight on one’s inaccurate false persona, one’s idealized self-image. The decision to self-improve is a manifestation of the refusal to accept oneself as one truly is. The obvious difficulty is that one cannot work with what one has if one does not accept what one has. To engage in self-realization is to be loyal to one’s true self. To chase self-improvement is to be loyal to one’s false persona.


Working With All That One Has

Making the most of your external resources to begin and finish your artwork is a key component to your success. So many projects are left unfinished, or never even begin, because the artist isn't comfortable with their circumstances. This waiting can continue until the pressure to create is so great that it's stronger than the resistance that encounters it. While this can lead to creating several pieces in a short burst of energy, it doesn't make for good practice. Such a practice of depending upon is unsustainable, and it eliminates your resource of time.

Waiting for the proper funding, studio space, or equipment that you need to create your work shouldn't keep you delaying your work. Even when I didn't have a camera, I was still sketching new ideas and images on paper. Working under the constraints of your available resources is a great creative practice. It pushes you to think outside of the box, to really consider what you have at your disposal and what you can do with them. I remember several moments where I longed for a certain piece of equipment, or a new space where I could work, that I knew would unleash my creative potentials. Turns out, as soon as I received them, it would be another several months before I could actually come up with a good idea to put them to use.

Counterintuitively, creative freedom can become a creative block. It seems fairly straightforward that to have a free rein would only be beneficial. But I believe that restrictions are an asset. This is as applicable to ideas for creative projects as it is to practical resources. H. G. Wells once said, "Where anything is possible, nothing is interesting." A hero who could do anything or a situation where anything is possible means there are no challenges to overcome, no obstacles to surmount, and no dangers to survive. Where's the excitement in that? Where is the suspense? Such a circumstance caused the demise of Superman's popularity over the course of several decades in the 20th century. It wasn't until the 80's that the writers realized superman's powers had gone too far. What's interesting about a character with no flaws?

Russian composer Igor Stravinsky states: "My freedom will be so much greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint, diminishes strength." The great insight is that constrained circumstances prompt effective action or creativity, by defining a manageable set of clear possibilities. Working with what you have, as opposed to longing for what you don't, will not only keep you active, but it will bring about individual discoveries about the materials you have at hand. Artists are creative problem solvers. Unlimited situations make for an unmanageably large set of vague possibilities, which in turn, leads to aimless ineffective responses.

Immanuel Kant wrote: "The light dove, cleaving the air in her free flight, and feeling its resistance, might imagine that its flight would be still easier in empty space." The dove can fly only because the air resists the movements of its beating wings. The flow over those wings may slow the bird down, but without the lift that it provides, there would be no flight. Wise artists can consciously exploit the benefits of limitations by laying out a number of them when they start a new project. If this is the case, then perhaps adopting and working with current limitations can lead to remarkably creative solutions that will mold your work into something that much more special to who you are.

By working with and making the most of what you have now, you are showing a greater deal of commitment to your work. A notable result of this dedication in well-rounded artist is their highly selective attitude towards what they will and will not do with their time. They recognize time as a limited resource, and not something to be squandered if they wish to accomplish their goals.

Magic of Absorption

By extension, they also do not waste energy on unsolvable problems. To achieve this efficiency, they develop the skill to recognize what is and is not feasible. They are able to assess feasibility because they immerse themselves completely in their work and learn its parameters and boundaries with unusual thoroughness. The well-rounded artists displays an unwillingness to waste time on non-essentials. Attention is a limited resource, itself, and the artist ought to order their attention like an ascetic discipline. When they tackle a project, they know it is workable in the long run. This is because professional artists, who treat their work like a 9-5 career, absorb themselves into their work.

One way to keep creative projects moving is to get enthusiastic about them. The artist must keep thinking about what they propose to do long enough for the effect of absorption to begin drawing forth relevant ideas and information from our inner and outer lives. Isaac Newton believed that to solve a problem required "thinking on it continually."

One method towards creative absorption is to get into a creative mod specific to that project, to build an atmosphere of feeling that surrounds what we are doing. As the mood-focused attention gathers relevant ideas, images, and bits of information around the emotional nucleus, the project takes shape and the momentum steadily increases. Sculptor Louise Nevelson said, "it absorbs you totally, and you absorb it totally, everything must fall by the wayside by comparison."

The ability to become deeply absorbed in a creative project is a skill that must be developed. Absorption - or being caught up or wholly involved in work - is a common hallmark of professional artists. Characterizing the ability is a cultivated sensitivity to subtle feelings and finer shades of meaning and a developed skill in deploying the various mental and emotional resources at the creator's disposal. We master absorption by deliberate practice, while paying attention to what works. As painter William Hogarth insisted, "Genius is nothing but labour and diligence."

Solitude is the school of genius because it facilitates absorption. The engrossed state of mind is one of the essential elements in the development of an artistic vision and the bedrock necessity for steady production. Bach say, "Ceaseless work....analysis, reflection, writing much, endless self-correction; that is my secret."

The self-actualized artist does not let personal or professional crises to break their absorption. They pay close attention to where they expend their energies. Sometimes, it is not immediately apparent just what it is that has engaged their absorption. Especially for the more experienced artist, where absorption has become second nature, the process is not always conscious.

The need to maintain absorption in the face of life's constant demands means creativity can be a juggling act. The balls are time, attention, and energy. Artists must develop a strong emotional link to what they are doing, while at the same time remaining as objective about the work as possible. Objectivity keeps our critical eye healthy, something without which we have no hope of assessing the true value of what we have done.

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Summary

This chapter marks the end of my Art is Alchemy series. Writing out the three stages to self-refinement has been great practice, and although challenging to accomplish, it has laid out the groundwork for my future articles on Steemit. I want to thank the Steemit community for their positive response to this series. I thank you for your time, and sincerely hope that the series presented content that you found motivational. I hope to rework this series with more insight into the form of a well-organized eBook in the future. When that happens, I'll be offering the eBook to Steemit users for free.

If this is your first time reading Art is Alchemy, I suggest you read Chapter I, Chapter II & Chapter III

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Best regards,
John Dykstra