London, Peter. No More Second Hand Art: Awakening the Artist Within. Boston: Shambhala, 1989.
The thoughts, ideas, and reflections in this book are the kindling that's igniting a fire deep within myself to create truely spiritual art that is uninfluenced by outside stimulus. My ideas about art and my own creative process have changed greatly after reading this book.
London is very convincing in his way of explaining that the only way to create true art is through a "self-indulgent" process. He urges the artist to dig deep inside of his or her self and become the center of their own art. By eliminating all outside influences, the artist has no one to challenge them other than their own spirit. The distracting elements of competition and comparision with other artists are removed and the artist is alone to find his or her connection with the world.
London states a characteristic of art that all artists should recognize is its power. He explains that "The root and full practice of the arts lies in the recognition that art is power, an instrument of communion between and all that is important, all that is sacred" (11). London's idea is re-enforced with a quote from Joseph Zinker's book, Gestault Therapy. Zinker writes, 'Art is prayer - not the vulgarized notations handed down to us in the scriptures, but a fresh vital discovery of one's own special presence in the world' (13).
Both of these quotes are powerful reminders of where my own art should be coming from. I agree strongly with the idea that an artist should strive to make better connections to this world through his or her art. As for my own art, I feel that everything I've produced so far has a shallow or hollow meaning to it compared to London's examples of what "true" art should be.
London describes a series transformations that the artist will go through in freeing their creative, spiritual powers. He calls these transformations "Creative Encounters" and suggests that the artist keep a deep and open mind when going through one. He says that the creative encounter is a "challenge whose nature is such that the only place to turn to for its exploration is inward. No borrowed answer will do because no one other than yourself could possibly "know" the answer. The effort to respond fully to the engagement sharpens perception, opens the eyes, increases the ambition to engage ever deeper and broader issues, and infuses subsequent efforts with vitality" (78).
I agree entirely with the above statement. Art is not about competition or status, yet there are many instances where this cannot be avoided. Art shows, contests, and competitions destroy the original intent of art. How can you judge a work of art by anything other than technical ability? To judge it by anything else would surly be misinterpreting what the artist's intent was and, even worse, robbing the artist of his or her own voice.
I found this book to be a great introduction to the techniques of looking "into" rather than "out of" myself for inspiration and subject matter for my art. It has raised questions about where my art is going and its importance to my health and view of the world. I found it appropriate for me to read this book first in my study of the spiritual in art. It has opened my curiosity to search the many life-enriching possibilities that are available when creating my art.