Category Archives: Thoughts

Upcoming Posts

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As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve had a lot of topics come up that I want to write about. In order to keep myself on task about cleaning those ideas up, I’m giving this little preview of upcoming topics.

All of these topics will be relating to the general theme of ‘what’s next?’, reflecting the general trends I see in culture and the arts.

The Themes (da-da-da-dum…)

  • US Politics
    Politics: One of the Big Three taboo subjects that are always talked about, I want to take a look at what we’re learning from the incredibly extended presidential race and some recent state elections as well. This post will end with a segment that ties very closely to my next topic…
  • Christian Cross
    Religion: Number two in the taboo category. In a similar vein to politics, I’m going to take a look at some of the general movements that are happening among my peers and in Christian leadership. There are some not-so-surprising-but-still-surprising ideas that are cropping up more and more. Specifically, I want to examine some of the things that relate Christianity to the changing of generations and cultural backlash.
  • Mime Face
    Art: Skipping to something a little less taboo, but no less awkward than the traditional third topic. There are couple things I want to relate that I’ve been learning/identifying for the past few months. Particularly in regard to how the transition from student to professional is taking place. Also, I want to mention a few points of a growing movement that is simmering behind the tatters of postmodernism.
  • Two-headed Turtle
    Bringing it all together: This is actually what is prompting the whole themed posting idea. I’ve been seeing some unifying themes between these various subjects lately. There is a lot that I want start to identify where these three things intersect and how they are reflecting a general change in culture and social interactions.

Whew. I think I just jumped in way over my head, but I’m determined to go out kicking.

One final note. None of the ideas I will be expressing are gospel truth to me (well, aside from THE Gospel). I not only welcome comments on all of the above topics, but I want to go ahead and ask for them. You’ll see why in my bit on politics.

Well, here’s hoping I finish these sometime before the Second Coming.

To Be or Not To Be… That is the Post

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It’s been a while since I posted, not because I forgot, but because there’s been a lot going on recently. I won’t go into details, but I’m going to try to put some ‘fruits’ of the week up here.

To begin, I would like to start by offering you a podcast. I’ve recently begun listening to all sorts of NPR productions and I’m loving it. If you can stand to listen to something besides your current favorite band, give these guys a listen.

A Favorite Story

This American Life is a particular favorite of mine. In short: it’s amazing. An hour-long broadcast of stories, some fiction, most true that are just great listens. I’m posting a broadcast this show did on a prison putting on Act V of Hamlet.

Here’s a short description.

Hamlet SchoolThat’s right. A medium-security prison performing Hamlet. It’s real.

I won’t go into details of the show because it must be heard. Succinctly put, this is like a real life version of ‘Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?’ only with Shakespeare.

I couldn’t manage to work things so you could play the podcast here, but you’re only two clicks away if you go to the show’s website and look for the ‘full episode’ link down the left side of the description.Act V cast

Pure awesomeness set aside, it’s a great thought-stirrer for those artsy/theatrical thinkers out there.

Pure awesomeness added back on, it’s a great thought-stirrer plus awesomeness. It’s a killer whale!

Crash! (There goes the master plan)

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The Stage

CurtainsI was talking to a friend the other day, catching up and what not, when I said something off-hand that made me pause. I told this friend that I had turned my life upside down in the last month – which is true in a lot of ways:

I now go north to find large bodies of water. Rooms in my house are on top of each other rather than beside. I switched from being a director to a student. I put aside grand schemes of revolution for an attitude of acceptance and learning.

Off-hand comments, are of course most dangerous when they articulate the brewing, unconscious themes of life. I didn’t realize until that moment that I had upended a great many of the constants in my life. I simply thought I was entering into a new season, adding on to the old.

Addition is still occurring, I haven’t abandoned all the previous years of my life in one fell swoop. But what is happening is a sort of death and resurrection process.

The Process

A lot of what has been upended lately has been my particular struggle betweenNeed and Want. Let me elaborate.

While I think it is a great thing to be needed, I am finding that it is a greater thing to be wanted. Transitioning from one to the other is a somewhat traumatic experience, however.

Atlas FigurineNeed forces a person to play Atlas – to shoulder the world and balance it on your shoulders. I am used to being an Atlas, but not because I really wanted to. Some people enjoy maintaining things, but I like to see a further goal. The reason I have been so willing to play at Atlas was because I would always see the step beyond the status quo; the step where existence turns into purpose.

The trouble with playing at Atlas is that it is impossible. You are either carrying the world, or you aren’t. In becoming a central pillar in everything I did, I continually took out my ability to move forward. I became a juggling Atlas with lots of great things that were constantly falling apart if I removed myself from them.

It’s been a long process learning to recognize that trait and to move into a different role.

The Result(ing Process)

I have allowed myself to need a great many things: a sense of purpose, respect, community, etc. But what I have never allowed myself to want or to be wanted. If somebody wanted me, I very quickly altered that desire into a need -a.k.a. they needed me to fill a role.

What that does is crush any freedom that might be present. Everything is burden to be borne, not an opportunity to be seized. I become Atlas once again.

So, I have finally begun to make the switch. The first step was getting into something (and somewhere) that didn’t need me. I can contribute and play a part, but I can’t even begin the process of becoming Atlas because that role is already filled.

Withdrawing from a central role to a supporting one has allowed me to begin the process of working toward that next step. I can begin to manipulate the world as carried by Atlas. I can help get things straightened up, I can nudge the world from one place to the next, all sorts of things.

It’s counter-intuitive for me to think of a ‘mover and shaker’ in the world as someone with a light touch and small presence. I have assumed all my life that greatness requires the ability to enforce your will upon the world; that I had to have a grand vision and then hoist it above everything else in order to be seen.

The Counter-Atlas

Balance Beam LeapIt is a great freedom to be able to move without the weight of personal responsibility on my shoulders. This isn’t to say that I’m not responsible anymore, it’s just that my responsibilities are no longer things that are necessities. I can fulfill obligations and help push things along without the need to constantly re-balance the entire equation because I am part of the balance, not the fulcrum.

It’s complete reverse from the way I’ve worked for most of my life. It’s a freedom to move without the great burden of an entire system weighing down on my back.

The trick is taking that first leap of faith…

Glued Together on Common Ground

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I just finished reading an excellent post by Chad Miller about the future of the arts. Chad and I have had many conversations regarding this subject before and I believe he has set the stage for some excellent thoughts on the subject.

The Cyclic Viewpoint

nautiluscutawayspiral.jpgChad takes a look at movements in the arts from a cyclical perspective. Specifically, he uses a ‘redemption cycle’ analogy that compares the philosophical underpinnings of art and culture to other cycles in man’s history. His view is that we are going to see a change in these areas that amounts to ‘putting the pieces back together’.

Adding to what Chad has already put forth, I would like to point out that the cycle he mentions is not without precedent. Although we are in a ‘postmodern’ world currently, similar views have been held by previous cultures – most notably the Romans. One has only to compare the mechanics behind ‘American Idol’ the gladiator arenas to see how similar our two civilizations are.

The fact that a thousand years separates the Roman existentialism from the modern version should clue us in to the fact that there must be a change following. Unfortunately for us, the change for the Romans was the decline of their civilization and the wild Middle Ages.

A Different Outcome

While I don’t think it is possible for a second period of the ‘Dark Ages’ to occur today, I do see the potential for our culture’s ruin. Again historical similarities point out the corollary between the Germanic tribes to the radical Islamists.

roman-coliseum_.jpgSo, what does this have to do with Chad’s ideas? Simple. Chad puts forth the option of redemption vs ruin. In a way unlike the Romans, we have the opportunity to put our ‘broken vase’ of postmodernism back together. This is not to say that we will recreate a classical ideal. However, we can create a new set of standards that address the shortcomings of postmodern assumptions.

The Challenge

Horizon FlareThe challenge I want to lay down is to forge ahead. The problems are too easily seen to be ignored, and postmodernism has given us an enormous boon for the next step: research.

We can view postmodernists’ work as a huge archive of experience and knowledge – they tried almost everything. Some of it worked, some didn’t but all of it can inform our construction of the next step. I don’t pretend to know what that next step will be, but I can say we have taken the preliminary steps toward this ‘fusion’ of postmodern discoveries.

The trick is to build that step one person at a time. Each individual, whether they are aware of their postmodern heritage or not, is capable of finding common ground – empathy if nothing else. My personal art form is built upon creating hybrid techniques, and I am not a singular example of cross-training.

So find that common ground. How can you glue people together?

Old Friends, New Eyes

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New EyesThis past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to the Metro New York YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base on Long Island. I have several friends who currently work there and I had a great time catching up with them.

The funny thing about the whole situation was the perspective switch that we went through. It’s not as if we were completely different people who had to re-work our relationship, but I could tell there was a subtle dynamic shift.

For several months now I have been straining to make the transition from a “student of art” to “professional artist”. That may seem simple, but the switch is impossible for about 90% of my peers (how many BFA’s work at Starbucks?). After living through the last year, I can very easily see why. I found it’s not so much the hectic times that kill the dreams, it’s the dead zones in between that stymie us the most. It’s a hard road to travel but I think I’m beginning to turn the corner.

I’ve loved the few weeks I’ve been working with PUSH. If there’s one thing I have been challenged by more than anything else, it’s the lifestyle choices they make. I have learned so much by just watching these people work. I came out of school with a great many ideas about how the professional artist works – great ideas with no connection to daily activities. It was a painful and slow process learning about that gap.

Now I get to see the actions up close. For example: grant-writing was always a concept that made sense to me, but was out of reach in practical sense. I had no idea what process was used to get from zero to step one. Today, I not only got to sit in on a first contact meeting, but I am also getting advice and supervision as I write the grant in question.

There are so many things constantly ‘popping’. Mostly, they’re little things like a reaction or word choice, but they make all the difference. I can see so much of what I needed to learn occurring right in front of me every day. It’s these actions that separates the “student” from the “professional”. In short, a lifestyle of choices.

The challenge before me is to absorb this lifestyle. I believe this is already happening – in large part because I made a conscious choice to leave what I had and work with PUSH. I think this is what made my old friendships seem a little different. It’s still me that people see, but choices have been made, attitudes have changed, and the person has grown. New eyes taking a look at old friendships and vice versa.