Knowing Imagination

One of the best examples of the use of the imagination is visionary art. According to Wikipedia: Visionary art is art that purports to transcend the physical world and portray a wider vision of awareness including spiritual or mystical themes, or is based in such experiences. Some famous artists of the past that fit this description are Hieronymous Bosch, William Blake, Gustave Moreau, and Ernst Fuchs.
One contemporary artist who is considered to be visionary, and a favorite of mine, is Alex Grey, whose work is truly mind-expanding and illustrative of experiences and conditions difficult to otherwise describe. In his book The Mission of Art (1998) he states that artistic creation can and should contribute to the enlightenment of the artist and the viewer of the art production.
Some of the many additional additional resources are The Society for Art of the Imagination; American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD;  Visionary Review; and Raw Vision Magazine.

Depression is a widespread problem in our society, although open discussion of it is uncommon. We stigmatize those who exhibit mental disorders and so ordinary discussion about a disease as common as depression is uncomfortable, at least. Sufferers often fear that others might find out about their disease and think less of them as a result- or worse, they could lose jobs and friends. There needs to be more open discussion about depression and the other mental disorders so that sufferers do not have bear the additional load of the negative judgements.

In regard to this, the great talk show host of past decades, Dick Cavett, has lately been writing a column for the New York Times. In his piece, “Smiling Through”, from June 27, 2008 he writes with personal eloquence about his experience addressing an audience about his own struggles with depression. In his follow-up piece, “Smiling Through Part 2 from July 11, he says that he was surprised at the “outpouring” of response he got from the first article- nearly 500 at this date and over 300 so far to the more recent piece.

These are quite worth reading to get a perspective on depression, not just from Cavett’s experience, but from some of the celebrities he interviewed on his show, like the great playwrite Tennessee Williams, for example, with whom Cavett is shown in a video from the show. The selected quotes from some of the responders to his original column are also worth reading.

Haruki Murakami is a novelist with a series of well-written imaginative and surreal books including two favorites of mine, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel and Kafka on the Shore. His newest book is After Dark.

In an essay published in the New York Times Book Review on July 8, 2007, Murakami describes the role that music played- and plays- in his writing. From the essay:

Whether in music or in fiction, the most basic thing is rhythm. Your style needs to have good, natural, steady rhythm, or people won’t keep reading your work. I learned the importance of rhythm from music — and mainly from jazz. Next comes melody — which, in literature, means the appropriate arrangement of the words to match the rhythm. If the way the words fit the rhythm is smooth and beautiful, you can’t ask for anything more. Next is harmony — the internal mental sounds that support the words. Then comes the part I like best: free improvisation. Through some special channel, the story comes welling out freely from inside. All I have to do is get into the flow. Finally comes what may be the most important thing: that high you experience upon completing a work — upon ending your “performance” and feeling you have succeeded in reaching a place that is new and meaningful. And if all goes well, you get to share that sense of elevation with your readers (your audience). That is a marvelous culmination that can be achieved in no other way.

This short (half page) essay is worth reading and so are his books. What do you think?

I so enjoy a new good idea, well presented. An imaginative idea will stimulate my own imagination with possible ramifications, applications, extrapolations, and maybe even a fresh idea of my own. Finding new, innovative, original thinkers can be frustrating or confusing as sometimes I’m not sure where to look or to invest my time and energy. I recently found the following web site that shows a great deal of potential.

You’ll find the link for the video near the end of this post but I want to also make you aware of TED, a really interesting web site that offers "Ideas Worth Spreading”. (TED stands for Technology, Education, Design.) This is a really interesting site with many presenters covering a wealth of ideas and an opportunity to network in this rich environment. I found the TED site to be very stimulation and am excited with expectation that there will be much more to be found.

The video is of Sir Ken Robinson, who is described at the site as a visionary cultural leader and creativity expert. “Sir Ken led the British government’s 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements.”

Be aware, the video will require about 20 minutes to see in its entirety, perhaps a long time for the attention of many web users. But, I assure you, it is well worth watching and not the least bit tedious. Sir Ken has a very entertaining style along with his valuable message of the importance of creativity and the necessity to encourage it. Click here to see the video at the TED site.

Enjoy- and don’t forget to come back here to comment.

Check out my new web store- The Inward Eye Store. Trying to use my imagination, folks. Let me know what you think.