The Interview – Part 2

Which character flaw do you despise the most and how you deal with these individuals during an unavoidable encounter?

Insensitivity: interacting with others, being social (such the challenge it was, even before isolation), forces me to look at who we all are; someone wiser than me wrote that the magic happens “in-between”, those spaces that aren’t labeled, in the “unknown”, what we may identify as nervous negatively might be actually anticipation; I won’t remember where to find that (won’t remember which book), I go out of my way to find the places where you can gain different perspective, this comes up at the beginning of poemcrazy; it came up recently in an Academy webinar where Joy Harjo was speaking on the importance of testimony, so I do try to find the value beyond the flaw, sadly, because of who i am: cerebrally, emotionally, and molestations and rape, I have to be mindful who I interact with, many people easily take advantage of my inner child, I love to play, so that, probably, explains a bit about my choices in art, but that child can easily be taken advantage of, has been in the past, and I have to be mindful of how trusting I am, although it does put me in dangerous positions, others may not often find themselves, which is unique, talking to people I may not have talked to, otherwise, it’s a very curious balancing act. I’m not afraid to experiment. Too, I have to be guarded. Most of the time I find, later on, in the early morning, alone, that the character flaws I thought I saw in someone all along turn out to be projections of my own.

Is the relationship between you (the artist) and your art a healthy one? Or artistic growth comes with a price, and if so, what is it?

Artistic growth, hmm: um, this stage of my development has been integral for accumulating the interior with emotion, the hard part, but anticipation in revision, in words, in form, that try to make friendships and bridges with others beyond borders, beyond skin color, and transcending technology and beliefs. The price is that at the end of the day I leave some individuals infuriated with me and some of my judgements, but that price has reminded me in reflection, when I am shut out, I am an adult, I am funny, I do have value, to try to find the words, most the time crushing silence, to live with each other even when they may want to shoot me, and I’m dead serious. I will not compromise on trying to find the Hesiodic manual to get through this complex of dehumanization and unkindnesses that stack up, and I will not accept being shut out, overall. I will persist. I won’t be a prophet in the process. Sometimes I wish, in jest/seriousness, we could ingest shrooms and connect in unity with one another, again. Though, I’ll admit, it’s idealistic, and its absurdity.

About ‘In The Mind Of An Artist’

‘In The Mind Of An Artist’ aims to uncover the artistic mind, the perspective of individuals living under the influence of art. By and large we live collective lives, but artists see life a bit; well sometimes very different than others. As some seem to float from one artwork to another; others are deeply encrusted in their work making it difficult to catch that ride offered by the world around them, creating realities in which one person (the artist) must navigate in order to survive in society. If you are an artist and this speaks to you, please contact me if you like to share your story.

This series of articles, written by artists is about the artist’s way of processing and reacting to events in their lives. These can be tangible communal events or struggles of philosophical and psychological nature.

Through these articles artists will share their intimate views. Talking about how their perspectives changed as they trapped themselves in the cobwebs of art.

By design ‘In The Mind Of An Artist’ will not contain any images of artwork, biography, profile, lists of exhibitions, books or the artist’s creative process.

The goal here is to give the artist a chance to pause from the creation of art for a moment and explore the self.

Interviews will also be included in this series.

To submit your article, get an invitation to participate or for more information on this new series please email jo@edgeofhumanity.com .

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

See Articles HERE

Edge of Humanity Magazine is an independent nondiscriminatory platform that has no religious, political, financial, or social affiliations.

We are committed to publishing the human condition, the raw diverse global entanglement, with total impartiality.

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