Knowledge and the Fool

Knowledge

Its true what they say, you know, when you are told you are a fool all your life, you actually do grow up and adopt a self doubt that reliably tells you are in fact a fool!

Who is to say I now ask myself, parents, you are a fool to them when you embarrass them, your teachers maybe, you were told that you are were a fool when you ‘didnt conform’, when things weren’t don in the way prescribed manner, that of course combined with a healthy dose of 1960’s ego, on the whole teachers in my day were simple egotistical control freaks, overseen by someone who was either totally unapproachable due to the omnipotent presence of the so-called Deputy Head, everyone knew in those days that it was the Deputy Head who actually controlled the entire educational establishment, the actual Head was simply an administrator.

Perhaps that is why I still have much of my journey to make while I learn to take compliments more easily, perhaps that I will discover a deeper understanding of why I don’t yet see what it is that I do as an artist, because I am looking but not yet seeing, I have to ask myself, is my art foolish.

Perhaps the blog is how you find out who you truly are, by throwing everything and anything that you want out into the ig wide world web, the real audience of society, the ones that look, search, try to understand the world themselves, perhaps it is an act, this blogging thing, to give people such as myself who are searching for themselves the opportunity to find an audience, to find likeminded people who they themselves have become lost in society in a constant struggle to maintain the simple self while all around you is in turmoil, society, the jungle, individuals simply hunter and prey.

Now having accepted that the meaning of life is simply to be faithful and happy, I no longer wonder , having adopted simple philosophies, if there are no plans it cant go wrong, or simply, If I’m not having fun I am on the wrong track, make a subtle change in direction!

Art is a selfish pastime, endless hours of daydream, constant mental creation, sketch books, cameras, paint time, sculpture time and all the bits between that are so vital to function as an artist, collection of materials, opening nights and oh so importantly the associated ‘get togethers’, there is just so much knowledge one can pick up at these rarely attended and I use that word quite advisedly, opening and preview nights are for friends and family, it is a privilege, you are not there for yourself in any shape or form, they are fonts of knowledge, a place to listen to the people that know, they are my lifes teachers, it is rare one finds a place where the topic of conversation is about art, so few discuss it with passion, peoples lives are full of clutter; not that there is anything wrong with talking but the more talk one makes the less one hears.

It is not enough to hear though, one must listen!