Original Discussion Post:

After reading the chapter of deeply seeing in the The Mission of Art, I have realized that there is a lot to seeing and understand than one thinks. There is a difference between seeing and deeply seeing. For example people don’t really notice how important one thing is until it is gone. This is especially true for injuries that one can never recover from. An example would be say that a person played sport all their life without ever getting hurt. They probably think that the last thing that could happen to them is getting a severe injury. All of the sudden they tear their ACL and boom. This injury will never allow that person to play sports the same way. This is when a person full notices how important ones legs are. When you are unable to run let alone walk, it makes you appreciate your legs more than you would if the injury had never had happened. This is an example that I feel like the author is trying to illustrate in this chapter. Grey stresses that “There is a vast difference between looking and seeing, a difference which is fundamental to the artist’s experience”(grey pg 72). In order to become a good artist one must master these two attributes. If a artist losses the ability of seeing, “meaning is lost, and all life seems ever more meaningless”(grey pg 73). I find this to be very true because they use of sight is very important to an artist. It is useful for an artist because detail is one of the important aspects of art. Without seeing it is almost impossible to be able to create detail in art. The uses of seeing can be said to be a spiritual influence to the artists. By seeing they can create spiritual aspects of art that express art in a greater form. This is different from religion because it doesn’t have to do with believing like religion, it is a form of seeing something. Religion is a set of rules by which someone lives their life. Spirituality is more a way of seeing things that you find to be inspirational and important. Overall I would agree with the things that Grey had to say in the readings. I do believe that be need to focus more on what they see so they can have a greater sense to detail. If this is done people will truly realize how beautiful our world can be.

Reflection:

The purpose of this assignment was to become familiar with ways in which spirituality influences artists, discuss the differences between spirituality and religion, examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity.

In this reflection I talked about how their is a difference between seeing something and deeply seeing something. Most people don’t understand all the things they have until its gone. I used the example of hurting one self and not being able to walk. People don’t understand how important walking is until its gone. Though Grey was talking about There is a vast difference between looking and seeing, a difference which is fundamental to the artist’s experience”(grey pg 72). I feel like an artist experience of seeing is not that much different. It is important to see and understand the full picture of life.

A  creative spirit I feel is still different then a religion because religion isn’t just seeing something. Religion has many qualities that make it up. Religion is more of a guide line to become a better person. Though seeing is involve, I still don’t believe that they should be compared to one another.

Future:

In the future I do think it is important to constantly have a different way of thing about life and what you do in your life. It is important to see life as being beautiful and important becasue it goes by fast. If you don’t stop and enjoy your surrounding you aren’t living life right.

Bibliography:

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.