Author: James Chiang

An ominous image of Jackson Pollock standing in front of the blank canvas that would eventually become one of the most significant  paintings in Modern Art’s history.

“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? — From the NewTestament

The wish here is to talk about faith, not in religious terms, but in human terms. What does having faith imply? In essence, two things: a belief in oneself and a belief in the universe (i.e. forces outside of oneself.)

This is difficult in a rationally-based world. Today, more than ever, we worship and follow the things that we can count and measure: time, money, the amount of things we own (or don’t), the number of likes or friends on social media. We don’t like to rely on faith. We want hard rational facts. Unfortunately, life is hardly rational and neither is art. In fact, we could go as far as say that the most important things in life aren’t so rational at all — like love and friendship.  Their bewildering nature is why I believe it’s what makes them mysterious AND magnificent. Real living requires affirmative action without certainty.

“Art is such an action. It is a kindred form of action to idealism. They are both expressions of the same drive, and the man who fails to fulfill this urge in one form or another is as guilty of escapism as the one who fails to occupy himself with the satisfaction of bodily needs. In fact, the man who spends his entire life turning the wheels of industry so that he has neither time nor energy to occupy himself with any other needs of his human organism is by far a greater escapist than the one who developed his art. For the man who develops his art does make adjustments to his physical needs. He understands that man must have bread to live, while the other cannot understand that you cannot live by bread alone.” — Mark Rothko, Artist

No. 14 by Mark Rothko. Astonishingly simple, Rothko’s work speaks to us in ways that are way beyond the technical.

But how do we get beyond the obsessions of our fastidious mind, the one so tediously concerned with counting and measuring the value of ourselves and that of society? And why should we trust in a world which has tendered ample evidence of cruelty, inequality and tragedy? The answer is because we must. The alternative — a cold and selfish machine-like world empty of a soul or conscience — is unthinkable. Even in our modern world loaded with options by which to inebriate or pacify oneself, at some point we wake up to the reality of life; the awareness that comes when our mind, body and heart meet. And we begin to ask, is this worth the trouble? Our rational mind can never find an answer that satisfies. It’s ironic, but a grossly superficial and calculating view of life is highly impractical. It’s only with and through faith that we carry on in spite of world seemingly gone mad.

“There is no salvation in becoming adapted to a world which is crazy.” — Henry Miller, Writer

What can we do to improve our faith? Here are some ideas to ponder:

a) Believing in your destiny.

Know that we all have some sort of purpose here. Many things had to go “right” for us to be born, to be alive during the times that we live in. Many sacrifices have been made and stars were aligned. Why doubt this. For it is fact. Even if the universe’s gift to you is pure chance — just dumb luck — it’s statistically a miracle that we exist here and now. So do something to show your gratitude.

“Luck is a component that a lot of people in the arts sometimes fail to recognise: that you can have talent, perseverance, patience, but without luck you will not have a successful career.” — Bryan Cranston, Actor

b) Knowing that you can only fall so far.

The ground is only several feet down from our bottoms! I’m always astonished how we all (myself included!) love to pile on fears that paralyze our thinking and our ability to perform. To lift off the burden of our fears — which are only guesses about what “might” happen — lightens the load on the heart and body. It’s too easy to forget that we entered the world naked and without possessions. In that view, everything we get is bonus.

““He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus, Philosopher

c) Understanding that you will be confronted with pain and failure.

This is guaranteed. Even the lucky run of out of luck eventually. Once aware of the possibility (and likelihood) of failure we can relax. We can accept truth. We can accept suffering. Then we can be smart and focus on the process again and believe in what we’re doing.  Once we understand something, fear succumbs to courage.

“We are all failures — at least the best of us are.” — J.M. Barrie, Writer

d) Knowing that taking chances allows for great things to happen.

Everyday I have to remind myself this. To tell ourselves that good is not good enough sets a standard by which to live — a standard that says, we have to keep raising the standards. To do this means to take chances. I believe this is the only path towards overcoming the “statistically” impossible, the only way to reach our dreams, and the only way to a better world.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F. Kennedy, Former US Attorney General.

e) That rules are not enough.

Even the best rules and guidelines — including these 10 Rules For Creative Living — will lose its effect on you. Discipline without faith burns out. We’re human. Having faith means retaining the right to fall and the responsibility to rebuild ourselves. Faith says “get back up” when we need to. Faith allows us to persevere.

“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.” — Victor Hugo, Writer

f) Respecting the universe and its laws.

Who are we to pretend to know what will happen tomorrow? Karmic forces are surprisingly subtle. Whether it be science, religion or the fiction that fills our libraries, it’s been made clear that all things come attached to other things. We know that discipline builds character and good habits are as contagious as bad ones. We know that failure begets growth. Even suffering and loss has its own — yet often veiled — benefits.

“What we notice in stories is the nearness of the wound to the gift; the one who is wounded is marked out — literally and symbolically — by the wound. — Jeanette Winterson, Writer

Chuck Close was born with a prosopagnosia —the inability to recognize faces — yet went on to become one of the most famous portrait artists in the world. He continues to work on his super large scale paintings even after becoming partially disabled and confined to a wheelchair.

Summary:

Have faith. Believe in yourself and believe in a universe that’s much bigger, greater and more magnanimous than yourself. Dare to be an optimist.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

A set of cupping hands supporting life denotes the concept of stewardship at every level: economic, environmental, and personal.

“You have the right to work, but for the work’s sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work.” — From the Bhagavad Gita

The idea of ownership is overemphasized today. We’re constantly working to obtain things: a home, a career, a relationship, and all kinds of other “stuff.” This preoccupation takes us away from the real responsibility to ourselves and the world at large — that of service. Such a change in understanding requires a change in our view of the things we work with and currently possess from one of ownership to one of stewardship.

Stewardship definition:

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others.
2.  the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

In other words, stewardship means being a good caretaker — of people, of things, of oneself. If someone should have the title of responsibility such as a producer or a director, he should be looking to do everything he can to enable the health and success of his team or staff, just as he would when looking after his family. But to do this job well, he must first look after that which is most essential, himself. The mind, body and spirit which encompasses him must be balanced and maintained if he is to be functional. A sick or weak caretaker is a lousy caretaker.

Therefore, it’s essential that each artist — if he is to honor his gift —  devote some time to the total care of his entire entity. If he can give as little as 5-10% of his day to maintaining his whole self then everything else that needs to be done in the day gets not only easier, but also much better. He must sharpen the saw and do so ritually.

a) Caring for the Mind:

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”― Aristotle, Philosopher

Being an artist, the mind is constantly at work. Creative work is mostly a mentally-stimulating activity; it requires much envisioning, researching, analysis and decision-making. This is perhaps the reason why art can never really be mastered. Art’s a continual dance between facing and overcoming challenges, an extraordinary process of dealing with the new that makes life interesting and meaningful.

But getting enough stimulus is rarely the problem. Our lives are excessively cerebral today. Our rational mind is constantly spinning and reacting to the overwhelming set of thoughts and emotions that come our way. So, although it’s necessary to activate the mind — via art or study — we must also remember to feed it and rest it. This entails segmenting part of our day for that to happen. I like to fill my mind every chance I get and everywhere I go — looking, touching, hearing whatever comes my way. These are things unrelated to my regular everyday concerns or obligations, kinda like stopping to smell the roses. But reading is usually what does the job for me most reliably. There’s nothing like some beautiful bedtime reading or sitting with a great novel by a good chair on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” — Neil Gaiman, Writer

As for resting, good old fashioned sleep is probably best, although quieting practices such as Yoga, meditation, or prayer are also proven to be successful. It’s important to give our brains a chance to rest completely, to empty itself, so that it can be filled again with the good stuff.

Ancient Egyptian stone carvings reveal the practice of Yoga as far back as 3000 BC.

b) Caring for the Body:

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” — Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur

They say the body is the vessel which carries us in our short journey here on this planet. While we’re alive, this is most definitely true. But how many of us ignore or mistreat our bodies? We eat poor, exercise (move) far too little and a lot of us don’t even sleep well or much at all. Overwork, anxiety, regrets, and excessive visual stimuli (the dark side of technology) are all part of the problem. But the bottom line is we ALL KNOW we can do better. Artists, especially those in fields of design/animation/film, spend far too much time sitting, burning our  eyes out digitally and eating far too much ready-made/processed food. If we want to create good art we must take care of this vessel. A weakened body is one that performs poorly. This is true not just of athletes, but of actors and singers alike. These professionals have strict regimens as to exercise, sleep, food, alcohol consumption etc. Furthermore, a body neglected repetitively is one that takes much longer to heal. There are some people, like myself, who had to give up our careers because of physical issues. If the body stops, you stop. No amount of mind power can correct a damaged ship.

Assign 30 minutes a day minimum to move the body around. Eat better.

Healthy foods are good AND beautiful. You can never eat too many vegetables regardless of your religious/philosophical affiliations.

c) Caring for the Spirit:

“Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” — Ray Bradbury, Writer

The word spirit is often associated with either religion or ghostly tales. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Our spirit can also be the totality of our emotions, our passions and our energy. To lift one’s spirit is to be cheered up. Unfortunately, many people take either a very guarded or lackadaisical approach to managing their emotions. The excessively rational and conservative mind tries to hide it, control it or use it strategically to his advantage. He has no trust in his feelings or intuition leading to a life of uncompromising rigidity and self-righteousness. On the other side, the extremely carefree and liberal mind lives from moment to moment with no emotional balance, exuberantly passionate one moment and completely overwhelmed in fear/depression the next culminating into a life of chaos and self-indulgence. (The latter view is what our world typically assigns to artists even when it’s not true because it makes for better storytelling and marketing.)

In truth, neither approach to dealing with our emotional reality is optimal. We need balance for our creative juices to flow optimally. The successful and productive artist works hard to manage and flow with his emotions. In other words, he needs to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. But he can’t do that if deep-seeded issues remain locked up inside. Although these may drive him initially, more often than not they impede him AND his art. Testaments have shown that many great artists — such as Jackson Pollack and Ernest Hemmingway — who were once heavily attributed as “extreme or volatile” characters (as if it were a requirement for powerful work) were never inebriated when they worked. In fact, they often entered long periods of creative droughts when they struggled with their emotions and turned to the bottle or other forms of substance abuse. Why? Because this art stuff is really hard, requiring deep focus and an unburdened heart. How else could they have produced such beautifully balanced art?

Set aside times of the day or week to heal the heart. Spend more moments with things and people you love. Enjoy time with nature.

The Chinese have a single word for the spirit-heart-mind. They are viewed as one and the same.

Summary:

It’s all very simple. And it’s all common sense. Unfortunately, many of us don’t pay any heed to balancing our lives. If we want to create art and do it for a long time, then we must remedy this now, not tomorrow. We must be good stewards. Remember also, that the mind, body and spirit heavily effect each other. A crack in one seam leads to cracks in the others.

“If you push down emotional pain long enough it becomes physical pain.” — Marina Abramovic, Performance Artist.