the pitfalls of passivity, psychologists and pills

At lunch with a writer friend yesterday. The day was already clouded with news coming through about the air crash. That and the results of the Amanda Knox retrial, events which for a day at least pushed aside the horror stories from the Middle East. And all this in a week where I'd watched the first episode of Louis Theroux's series 'By reason  of Insanity (BBC 2)

I told my friend about when I used to teach art at a Maximum Security Prison and how feelings from that time, questions if you will, about normality and what it is, and isn't, were coming to the surface on watching the programme. In my class were murderers and violent criminals but apart from a few odd events, these guys were like lambs with me. And I soon came to realise how fundamental these classes were to their grip on sanity; their holding on to some vestige of normality in a very abnormal environment

And I read in a Guardian article yesterday morning that a huge percentage of professional people suffer acutely from stress and depression, but that with pills and psychological support, how they manage to get by on a working day.

We talked about his writing and my painting and how lucky we were to have this poetic world to sink into, one which in turn colours our lives and makes them richer. And he asked 'What about the rest of humanity?' Big Question.

I replied that this is the reason why I teach, to get the word out there. And then the conversation drifted in another direction but it has hung in my mind ever since, because there is a better, fuller, answer.

It is that I believe that we are all creative beings but that the precious gift of creativity has been taken from us (most of us) during childhood and that we yearn for it for the rest of our lives. It is like a hole in our soul. And the wound from this deprivation is harsh and deep. And that now we have to remember; yes simply remember, what it was to be a child, to play and float in a world of fantasy and creativity without judgement or restraint.

Yes I know I'm banging an old drum here but maybe not loud enough. Because we live in perilous times and we are suffering the pitfalls of passivity, psychologists and pills. We are looking for easy fixes and they abound. But these fixes are ephemeral and do nothing to satisfy our (sometimes unconcious) yearning to be creative.

Now, I am not going to pretend that creativity is the only answer to the world's problems but I am truly wary of quick fix tricks and this obsession with change that currently abounds. That if you keep on searching, that you'll eventually hit on the right one, the right trick.

You see, my experience tells me that all the finer aspects of humanity, courage, compassion, adventure, love for our fellow man, and of course creativity, that all these values are still within us. They have not disappeared. Suppressed in childhood yes, and ignored, of course, in the adult world of stress and striving. But that these values are still there waiting for us to return to them whatever age we are and in whatever sort of life we lead. We just need to wake up, to return once more to our innate God-given creativity

Michael runs Retreats in Creativity in Assisi, Italy, throughout the summer
Please click HERE for details

Assisi summer retreats

         Retreats at the Casa Faustina in Italy this summer

If you are looking to supercharge or recharge your creativity and wellbeing then you will love our retreats.
Set in magical Italy near the birthplace of St Francis of Assisi we will immerse you in every aspect of good living and creativity. Our approach unlocks potential and provides a well needed respite from the pressures of daily life, allowing you to reflect, unwind, relax and refocus.

Our retreats are held at Casa Faustina a beautiful calm venue in the foothills of Assisi.
You can have accommodation to suit yourself and you will be delighted by the cuisine, the kind attention and the sheer beauty of this wonderful part of Italy
Spaces are limited so please book early.

For details of all our summer retreats, click here.
Email; michael@starstone.org

Letter to a friend, part 4

My dear friend,
Yes, I know, I do rabbit on a bit about parallel worlds and poetic universes. It is my vain attempt to get across the feeling of what it is like to be absorbed in the flow of creativity.
Have you ever lived in Africa?
Don't think so. If you have you would know that there is something of our African origins embedded deep down in our DNA which clicks alive when we are in a desert or jungle and which washes clean our senses, enlivens and electrifies our souls and dissolves rationality and mundane concerns.
I can think of no other way better to describe this than to quote Elspeth Huxley from her book 'The Mottled Lizard'. She writes...

'To depart on a safari is not only a physical act, it is also a gesture. You leave behind the worries, the strains, the irritations of life among people under pressure, and enter the world of creatures who are pressed into no moulds, but have only to be themselves, bonds loosen, anxiety fades, the mind closes against the world you left behind like a folding sea anemone. Enjoyment of the moment, the true delight in living, in life as it is and not as others in the past have made it, all this returns. Each breath you draw gives pleasure, you wake with a new sense of wonder at the pure light shining on golden grasses and the web on the thorn, and at the cooing of a dove. And the reason for praising the Lord all the days of your life, a reason certainly withheld from men in cities, comes to you: or, at least, you understand that this is not a matter of reason, which destroys all need for praise, but a buried instinct that you are one with all creation and that creation is positive, delightful and good. Only when the chains of civilisation were loosened, when you escaped for an instant from the mould, could you understand the meaning of spontaneous happiness. To live this life forever seemed the only desirable form of existence.'

I do hope that this in some way answers your question.

Now, I don't exactly expect you to rush out and but a safari hat and a ticket to Nairobi (although that seems like a good idea now I've written it)

It is enough to leave the world behind in a spiritual fashion and allow your studio to be your metaphorical desert and jungle and to be aware of its sounds and sensations which are the first murmurings of that creative wind which blows around us everywhere, were we but to know it.

                                        A jungly painting to inspire you

Michael at Starstone

Photography and Awareness; Our flier

Michael, at Starstone

Letter to a friend pt.3 (with a message from Van Gogh)

                        a painting for you

My dear friend,

You ask

Why did I demand no ideas?

Let me explain before you launch yourself into the unknown.

You see, creativity requires what they call 'no mind'

Oh streuth, what do I mean? Like being dumb?

In a way, yes.

This can be explained in so many ways, but essentially it's this.

Creativity is a sort of never ending flow were we but to realise it; a golden warm river of information to draw upon if you will, something which in fact flows past most people simply because they are hooked on mind chatter. Not their fault, just the way life, culture and upbringing conditions folks.

And to prise open a space within this chatter can be tough for some; like trying to prise open tube doors on the Northern Line to get inside the train.

Those who have become what we might call 'enlightened', whether in that spiritual sense of the word or its more secular meaning as having experienced an awakening, say that they have either by chance or through meditative practices, or illness or suffering of some sort, have lost a large percentage of this mind chatter, it just dissolves (the glue which keeps those tube doors stuck). And for them it is easier to sink into this creative flow.

But this sounds tough going and the good news is that you don't have to go through such privations; through any harsh or difficult practices when you can merely slip into the creative flow with ease.

And what we show at Starstone is that the very act of doing and making; writing, painting (in your case), sculpting, creating a wonderful meal or a beautiful garden; in other words, living creatively; that the very act of open minded engagement, listening, watching and reacting to what is happening before you, takes you into a different world, which we might call a parallel universe. And one which is timeless.

So let's get going.

I like this, written by Van Gogh

'Just slap anything on when you see a blank canvas staring you in the face like some imbecile. You don’t know how paralysing that is, that stare of a blank canvas is, which says to the painter, “You can’t do a thing".'
Open each tin of paint each with its own brush and go from canvas to canvas just making marks and continue until you feel exhilarated then stand back and observe what has been produced.

The trick is to listen to what the painting has to softly say and react to what it asks and to leave off when the whispering stops. 

Then leave your studio and take the dogs for a walk in the rain.

And don't go back in again until the day after.

Then write to me and tell me your impressions of your opere d'arte. Your feelings and reflections too.

Michael

Letter to a friend part 2 (contd)

My dear friend. Good to hear from you and that you are keeping up to speed.

Plastic is covering your terracotta floor and the six canvases are spaced out perfectly; nice photos you sent me, thanks.

You tell me that the two days in which you were forbidden to enter your studio sparked off imaginings of actually being in it; of making it beautiful and inspirational. That is good, becauseyou have primed yourself to be positive and loving and it takes us to the next, and very important stage..

Ready?

So, let's go!

Grab a cushion from the kitchen and in you go. Sit in a favoured corner and just absorb the space, every single inch of it until you feel that your eyes and mind have acquainted themselves fully.

Then get up slowly and begin to walk around and between the prepared canvases, almost as if you are walking though a maze.

And this will happen. All sorts of thoughts and plans and ideas will begin to spark off in your mind but as they do so, you must release them. Just keep on walking around and letting these thoughts drift away as at the moment they serve no purpose.

There are no time factors here because you are entering timelessness and need only to continue drifting around the canvases and into every part of your studio.

There will come a time, within this no time, when you will suddenly realise that you are absolutely present. Well, we have talked about this before, so you know what I mean. It is a sort of nowness, if you will, where separateness dissolves and thoughts and schemes and ideas let go of their grip and where we become conscious (in the true meaning of the word).

It is a feeling of belonging. (as opposed to non-belonging...more of this next time).Your new studio belongs to you and you belong to it, but it is more than that, it is as if the two elements have become one, it is that sort of feeling.

So, when this happens, even if it is just for a short period (you see in timelessness this does not matter), just simply return to you cushion in the corner, close you eyes and breath this feeling until it seems enough for now.

That's it!

Go and make yourself a coffee (or, knowing you, a herbal tea). No biscuits though.

Email me when you have got this far and we will continue on this creative journey.

BUT, in the meantime no ideas or images for your six canvases must enter your mind. OK?

And don't ask me why not because you know I won't tell you.

Michael
starstone

Creativity; letter to a friend. Part 2

My dear friend,
So now you have your new house and a studio space, and you ask 'What's next?'
Well, the practical part is easy, so let's talk about that. Then you're grounded, so to speak.
Buy a sheet of thick clear plastic and cover the whole of your studio floor, taping around the edges so it doesn't kick up or allow any damage to flooring underneath.
Then when you are in town, buy some canvas at you Art Suppliers. This usually comes in widths of 1.5 cm, so buy 4.5cm in length.
Have them cut this into squares of 75cm (so six in all) and drive back home, wishing you'd bought some paint too. But be patient, that comes later.
So, when you are in your studio, tape the six squares to the plastic covering, spaced 1.5 metres apart.
Then leave your studio, close the door and do not return for two whole days.

To be contd... (in two days time) ;O)

Michael,
at Starstone