AN ARTIST’S RELATION TO SOLITUDE
An artist must make time for the long periods of solitude
Solitude is extremely important
Away from home
Away from the studio
Away from family
Away from friends
An artist should stay for long periods of time at waterfalls
An artist should stay for long periods of time at exploding volcanoes
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at fast-running rivers
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the horizon where the ocean and sky meet
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the stars in the night sky
Marina Abramovic
I loved the poem enough to share it, yet felt there is something much deeper to reflect there.
Is solitude the road to stillness … afterall there is often stillness in the movements and movement in the stillness as well.
So I would like to ask an artist…
Do you really want solitude or stillness ?
Sometimes in deep solitude there is no stillness.
And that is perhaps the reason for the need of staying away from it all.
Staying away is not the answer but just a change to alter and arrange thoughts.
For thoughts run amuck sometimes and have a speed all their own
So a dear friend from another city knowing my love for science intimates me about a lecture program on Astronomy that was scheduled to happen in my city.
Reading more about it got me looking forward to attending it.
It was expected to happen in a school auditorium. And the entry was open to all.
I called a day prior to the event to confirm and then decided to schedule my work for the day so that I would be free enough to attend and enjoy it.
The organizers had mentioned about arriving at a stipulated time, it took me an hour to reach there by car but I was on time. I found the venue completed the registration and walked up a flight of stairs to the auditorium.
As I entered I saw a couple of seats free as most were occupied and I was settled in.
There was a chair with a bag next to me. And there was a girl in the next chair. I sat there waiting for the program to start.
Many people walked past me searching for a chair but never thought of checking if the chair beside me was really occupied. The auditorium was soon getting filled up. And then a young boy came in and checked if the seat was empty. Because he asked he got the seat actually, as the bag turned out to be the young girl’s.
Just as we were are settling and waiting …within 10 minutes or so, there was such a sudden rush in the number of people entering the auditorium. Suddenly the hall seemed to be brimming over with people It was quite a sight as even the aisles were full of children and parents and elderly. And people were still pouring in. It soon turned almost unmanageable and overcrowded.
A lady came on the stage and requested people in the aisles to sit where they were standing but no one was ready. In fact, to be fair, it was getting difficult to even stand, let alone sit.
The lady then started off asking parents teachers to vacate their seats for the children, as the program was meant mainly for them. No one was ready to get up and give up their seats.
On hearing the heartfelt request, I instantly gave up my seat for a young boy standing next to me. I just couldn’t sit in my seat after that, but I noticed that except a few like me, most people sat glued to their seats. Perhaps they felt they had a right because they came in earlier than the children standing.
Perhaps we are all flummoxed what to do in situations like this and respond differently.
To my understanding, I discerned that the child of tomorrow stands to gain sitting there more than me for I went there only for my own interest in the subject but perhaps it would help impact or influence his future in a positive way.
So I willingly gave up my seat.
Unfortunately, I had to leave the place as it was filling in so much that it was turning claustrophobic to even stand anywhere. As I jostled my way out of the auditorium I had to squeeze through the crowd all through the flight of stairs and outside on the narrow road in the street to the venue as well. As people were still thronging in.
Although I sincerely missed the lecture I actually felt relieved to have moved out early on.
Clearly, the organizers had missed out on this that the venue was too small to accommodate this unexpected number of people. Looked like their good intentions of keeping the entry free resulted in this. Maybe they could have kept the entry fee for adults and kept it free only for children.
Anyway I had time in my hand and decided to explore a nearby mall and returned home.
A few interesting things happened there. But that is the subject of another post another time.
Just thinking…
Perhaps every moment of our life is predetermined.
Perhaps we are meant to be where we are.
I may have reached the venue on time got the seat but I never got to hear a lecture that I planned to. And since I gave up my seat on my own, I was solely responsible why.
Sometimes life challenges us What you deeply desire You may have to give up for another… But there is always a reason why!
What are your thoughts? Would you have given up your seat or stayed on? Would love to know…
Touching the nerve of truth
It is not an easy task to confront
Cause to confront is to be ready for conflict
Be it any kind…
From mental social or physical and more
Conflicts are always unwanted.
But change is the only constant
And life moves on creating itself.
In any art and creative endeavour
Say even speaking & writing for that matter, there is much scope for influences and perceptions.
It is the nature of truth to transform
But not without chaos and confusion
Such is the nature of human frailty.
There in lies the strength of human spirit. (Contd)
The path of art is open to interpretation. Creativity per se is a birthing process. It can be extremely exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.
The creator is bearing the brunt of creativity just as much as the beauty of it all.
Creativity is challenging and comforting.
It can box then unbox you as an artist.
When creativity churns out art it opens itself to perspectives and dimensions of reflections.
Art appears in all its magnificence from the
seemingly endearing and enchanting…
It has its influences on the heart and mind of the audience as much as the artist.
Art may then touch upon the purpose of artistry.
Or it may completely stay undermined and undiscovered.
Yet the truth is Art has far-reaching potential and the artist is capable of inspiring or influencing through his creation. And the same art can transform or trick the mind.
Every creation has a time frame that goes along,
Sometimes the creation is self-destructive.
Or at times creation may become redundant in time and fade away
Yet there are cases of creative expression where interpretations leave imprints in the human consciousness forever.
Art has a unique capacity to transform the psyche of understanding.
Art reflects the life and at times life reflects art.
What’s dancing got to do with management
Everything!
Oh, she is a dance teacher!
What will she know about managing a business?
This is the common perception of people in business setups. They have a dismissive attitude towards anyone who comes from a non-aligned field like arts for example.
Personally speaking, as a dance professional for more than two decades, I can certainly say that the experience trains you into a lot more than dancing. It helps develop & cultivate people skills, culture and mindsets, and the ability to empathetically understand attitudes that can be observed in life and living.
Besides, there are common skills that go beyond business management and enter life skills that one needs to navigate life effectively.
Here are a few skills that come to mind immediately…
Time Management
Code of conduct
Space management
Body language awareness
Self Expression
Discernment
Discipline and Focus
Alertness
Respect
Collaboration
Teamwork
Mindfulness
Authenticity
Precision
Adaptability
Planning
Creativity
Dancing movements can open channels of flow which translates into greater energy optimization.
And each dancer may have explored the art of dancing in different forms and its application would have the potential to create a greater depth of understandings.
The value of art may be high, yet the possibilities and the potential application of art are yet undervalued and undermined.
There is so much scope in the art of movement that we can realize. It’s high time to accept that dance education and application has much to offer the world beyond just a stage performance. Great to see radical shifts in the way dance is being perceived across certain parts of the world. But it has to percolate to where all it can matter.
Time to think beyond and open up to these yet underutilized but valuable life management skills.
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