Holding two truths that feel opposing is difficult but I would like to think I am getting more comfortable with it. I find it interesting and infuriating that art can have a meaning behind it that drives an artist to create, but also art can be made with no premeditated concept and something is discovered after its brought into reality. While I struggle to articulate what this thought is to me, I do enjoy the mechanism of using a contradiction to demonstrate legitimacy.
I don’t remember if this thought was came from a state of frustration, but returning to it feels to provide a permission slip to do the thing that I feel pulled to do for no other reason than I felt pulled to do so.
Thinking about what, who, how, why art is has unveiled the notion that things we accept within a rationale mindset can be construed, bent, and translated in a way that makes what was once sound, feel blurry and stand on unsettled ground. At some point a thing was defined by someone. A purpose, a principle, a rule, a parameter, a guideline, a ideology, a definition, a language, a sign, cue, assumption, prediction, theory, interpretation; the list goes on and on. Essentially the things we operate by were a one point just an idea that later on may have evolved into something that humanity hung on to. The idea was adopted culturally or within a religion. The idea was an approach that later was a scientific discovery. The idea was an assumption that seem to have a better success rate than not. The idea became a base for someone to grab onto to feel a sense of identity.
Anything from science to religion to commercial brands, to sports, to occupations, to a kid’s drawing hung a fridge, was conceived from an idea. So then what gives these generational concepts power over us to where we don’t even consider questioning, let alone redefining, what the once-was-thought-of idea could be within an alternative interpretation? Have we hindered ourselves in seeing the opportunity for beautiful exploration within opposition? Questioning while still holding onto the belief. Challenging while still showing support. Reasoning that reasons are just reasons because at one point they were reasoned to be so.