Most theologies would support that God is more about how things are connected than in how the are separate. Drawing is a celebration of the connections between forms. Therefore, these connections might be thought 0f as a celebration of God; the more connections, the more God. I’ve always believed that finding these connections, then, is a form of worship, sort of an exegesis with nature. If the disciple’s goal is to be closer to God by doing what God might do, then one’s creative process might aspire to the level of His creative intelligence.
But are we playing God or merely emulating His wisdom? In the universe of a work of art before us, we often find ourselves doing both. It is a give and take, a conversation between our own will, our own knowledge and that Universal knowing, we call the collective consciousness or the God factor. Many of us have had the experience of a knowing which is beyond our own comprehension. It’s as if we’ve tapped into something beyond our own ability, as if we are channeling some cosmic Other. We are on fire with an idea and it seems to take on a life of it’s own. We become servants to the idea, as if directed by an outside force. Beethoven described this phenomenon, as have many great artists. Some call it being in the zone. Others call it a groove. But it always seems to involve discovering connections between an unlikely combination of seemingly random thoughts. To recognize these connections means giving up our own ideas, to be open to new ideas.
We are also celebrating how things are different from one another. Discernment of a thing’s uniqueness is another miracle of the creative process. The combining of these processes, seeing how things are the same but also different, gets us closer to the Theory of Everything. Those rare moments when everything seems to makes sense, when we feel as if we are one with all.
If you like/don’t like or want to add your thoughts to the conversation, I encourage you to comment. Also, you may want to get a copy of Point of Art – Second Edition, or download it today. I offer career coaching for those serious about a career in art. Don’t forget to check out The Portrait – a painting video and The Power of Positive Painting
Rob, I will give you the “Drawing part” after that you don’t know what you are talking about —-
What do you think you know about some “God Factor”
What do men think they know about God?
“therefore” now you are done —
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Please forgive me, if my words sound like those of a “know-it-all.” That is not my intention. I’m not sure how I might express ideas without sounding like a pompous idiot; I’m definitely open to suggestions. And, thank you Doug, for giving me the “drawing part.” After that, last I checked, any of us have the right to express our thoughts and feelings about God or any other subject, pompously or not, whether you or anyone else agrees. I am simply relating my experience, my thoughts, about which I am the only authority. You are more than free to disagree, but not to negate my experience. I welcome conversation about such matters but I think there are enough forces out there shutting people down from expressing themselves. I agree there is an inherent problem with any man claiming to “know” God; that’s why I don’t write about one theology over another. This was simply me trying to understand and describe the creative process.
Personally Doug, I prefer to read about ideas, even tricky ones about God and art, rather than what someone had for dinner. Or worse, people who show graphic pictures of their injuries or speak ill of others.
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Mr. Maniscalco, as a Semivan, I for one respect anyone who restates the statement which I believe was voiced by Voltaire: I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. The free market place of the expression of thoughts and ideas is the foundation of any democratic community.