This week’s topic is creative spirituality, which is a very interesting concept. An even more interesting concept is how spirituality can influence artists and their pieces of art. Often people confuse spirituality and religion as the same thing and while there are some overlaps, it is not the same. Spirituality can be much more than just what religion someone believes in.
A way spirituality can influence artists is through things that inspire them to create artwork. Inspiration is something Grey touches in this week’s assigned reading. The opening line of this week’s reading really struck a powerful message to me. Grey states, “Most of our days are spent passing by things that we glance over but may barely be able to recall” (71). This is a very profound thought in the sense that there are so many things we glance over on a day-to-day basis. Even just a walk to campus can entail numerous things and events. These things we glance over may be hard to recall, but they do stick in our subconscious. These subconscious thoughts come through in forms of expression, such as artwork. I look forward to reading what others had to say regarding creative spirituality given I think most people will have a unique viewpoint.
Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.
I too found that quote really moving because it is so true! We go through our lives so busy and worying about the things we have to do or other things in our lives that take up so much space in our thoughts that we forget to notice what is happening around us. Walking through campus I always see people with their headphones in walking to classes that are on their phones not involved in what is happening around them. I think it is important to just walk sometimes and experience your environment and really see. I think that artists do this offen and its why they are about to take their thoughts on the world and express them through their art.
You bring up good points in your comment to my post. I agree with your point of it being important to just walk sometimes and experience your environment and really see. I value being in the moment and noticing things others don’t, which ties back to a previous week when we talked about values. People being on their phones is definitely something I notice and I can understand the need to communication multiple ways to multiple people but it is very nice to just be in the moment and become inspired by the things around us. Cell phones and technology seem to take away from people’s spirituality and connections other beings, which is interesting to me.
I really agree with you that spirituality is different with religion and it is beyond to religion. As you quoted from Grey, “Most of our days are spent passing by things that we glance over but may barely be able to recall” (71). Indeed, it is really difficult to recall the objects that we see in our daily life. I think the reason is because we just mainly can use the eye of flesh in life based on the theory of three eyes that Grey mentioned in the reading. The artists can really see objects in their life because they have to apply the mystic eye to see objects. As Grey mentioned, “artist need to be able to see on each level in order to bring technical beauty, archetypal beauty, and spiritual beauty” (Grey, pg.73).