Altered States

Brave New World

2007-11-14T17:12:00.000-05:00

"Although art involves creativity, creativity does not perhaps involve art" (Hughes, 177). Doesn't that just bring everything around full circle?

I remember this discussion from the beginning of the semester, of this class. I wanted to touch on it again now that things are winding down. After everything we have discussed, everything we have analyzed, I could not agree with that statement more. Art most definately involves creativity; it requires creativity in my opinion. But there is no way to say that creativity requires art. I can see the creativity in everything I do. What I say in class or murmur under my breath takes creativity. I pull all kinds of resources together in everyday activity to create something new. Writing this blog is creative but may not be described as art. Driving to school can be creative. Eating dinner can be creative. EVERY DAY is creative, but no one would catalog my life as living art.

I want to reflect on the semester in general, seeing as this is our last blog. I came into this class expecting something completely different. I don't know how to describe what that preconception was, but this was not it. I know we still have a few weeks, but the bulk of our discussion is over, and that is what affected me. My mind had been completely closed to some of the ideas presented. As I said in the beginning, I didn't buy some of these outlandish ideas. As the semester progressed and peices of my own life clashed with ideas and theories from this class, my speculation began to melt. I was scared of judgement, but now I realize that those judgements would be biased, misled, and ignorant.

I've had a lot of fun in this class.

Creativity NOW!

2007-11-14T16:07:00.000-05:00

About this chapter:
I have mixed feelings about how the inter-net has shaped our cultural. On one hand I admit the potential that the inter-net has to truly democratize creative outlets, taking the means of widespread distribution out of the hands of large companies and placing it in within the reach of every person who can obtain access to a computer. I once read an interview with Francis Coppola in which he commented on how cheap home video recorders would revolutionize film and create a scenario in which the masterpieces of the future would be created outside of Hollywood. They would be composed on farms, in people’s bedrooms, and on city streets; wherever people lived art would be born.

My conflict with the inter-net is found in its compartmentalization of information. I feel that the inter-net’s ability to tailor information to meet a specific request has damaged the creative pursuit of knowledge. The quest for information is no longer a creative process in itself; it is simply a means to an end. When I was a child I ran away from home and hid in the public library. I lived there for 4 years, taking change out of the fountain and feeding myself from the vending machines. I washed in the men’s room and at night, after the doors had been locked and the lights shut off, I crawled beneath the reference desk to sleep. The night guard was a drunk who slept through his shift so my presence went wholly undetected. I feared exposure during the day and never left the building. This was in the olden days before the inter-net and I was forced to bide my time among the shelves, reading from what ever book was colorful enough to attract my attention. I don’t know why my parents never came looking for me, but anyway you could never get away with that shit today because computers and the inter-net has made security at libraries so much tighter.

Fractals!!!

2007-11-14T15:47:00.002-05:00

This is not the first time I've come in contact with fractals. A math teacher of mine, in high school, was gracious enough to open my eyes to this fascinating art/math and I have been quite fond of them since. Fractals are fascinating because they are endless; they have no beginning, and no end. The fact that they are born from mathematical equations is another interesting quality of these psychedelic works. Due to their mathematical birth, it is easy to see why they are so perfect. Math is an exact science, and so to are these fractals. Yet they are not what one would expect to see in even the most radical math class. I often compare things I see everyday to fractals; I have a baseball card where the player is holding the same card in his hand. This is extremely "fractal-like." The card has no end... if I was to dive through the cards, each would be the same as the one preceding it, thus and infinite level of magnitude can be applied with the same result, just as with fractals.
I think we have all seen things of this nature at least some time in our lives. The book states that nature itself has these fractals in it which means that these magnificent works are all around us, everywhere we go, which is just another level of their intersting qualities.

AND IN THE END…

2007-11-14T15:47:00.001-05:00

This is another one of those chapters that tries to tie together loose ends and really covers a lot of ground.
Replication and deconstruction left me thinking after the following passage:
“Originality is one half of the creative equation—the other half being social validation. But in or mass-media age the very notion of originality comes under threat.”
I definitely agree that it would be easy to infer something like this happening. I also envision certain places possibly becoming “originality” vacuums. But I don’t agree that it will overshadow true originality that takes place everyday to every person.
I think the problem with this statement, is it over looks the power of original and creative products that we cast aside as truly great works, because they lack social validation. But not all art needs universal social validation; in fact many times it might just need the validation of one other person.
I piece of pottery made by a potter friend of mine displayed prominently in my house. On my refrigerator I have a drawing made by a friends three-year old daughter. In my parent’s house there are numerous painting hanging in which the artist are friends of the family and some have existed for generations.
I also have letters and poetry written to me by friends and family I treasure as much as old photographs.
In many ways I feel like these pieces of art resonate more with me then Picasso, Warhol or even Michelangelo. Expanding on this theme though, why would any person desire to go to any museum to see a work of art, if the replication is just as appealing?
I think it has more to do with the exposure to the original that conveys energy to the subject. I know in my own experiences seeing the original of anything has been infinitely more impactful then a replacement.
I know all this still revolves around originality, and how our culture might be devoid of it, but I’m not buying it. I think the notion that originality becoming extinct is a notion of a society that tries to give value to everything.
Those painting hanging on my mothers wall probably wouldn’t get 50 cents at a garage sale but our priceless to us. The letter and papers I collect are only good for recycling to another person, but are some of the most powerful written words that I’ve come in contact with.

A mirror reflecting itself

2007-11-14T14:23:00.000-05:00

Andy Warhol called post modernism art a mirror reflecting itself. The commodification and commercialization of art and creativity has reached its end I think. I believe we are indeed on the brink of a new social age, as some other post modernists suggest. Repetition has run its course, the mirrors are no longer receiving light. Perhaps this is why Melissa was so confused in her blog. The current state of the country's communications/ reproduction abilities is taking away creative impulses of our own. I think this last chapter was a great way to conclude the book; it's a sad ending but true nonetheless. I don't believe that since it is 'easier' to purchase a more precise replica of the Mona Lisa that artists are losing their focus. It's you and I, and all the other creatives not named Van Gogh, Warhol, Da Vinci or Renoir that are being repressed, maybe, by the constant stream of monotonous images we now see as "art." Just a thought, and I may be completely off base here, but when this book stirs the notion of computer creativity, doesn't that raise some eyebrows? It did mine.

I think our latest battle of opposing ideologies in the world, specifically regarding the Middle East, will lead to one of two outcomes (on a social level) A: a complete loss of faith in religion, and ultimately a loss of an altered state and creativity; or B: an endless war which will prolong the current state of social progression being held in suspension indefinitely.

Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but either way, our roads to creativity are being tweaked daily through the course of time, through economic, political and social current shifts, and from our own reflections in the mirrors of our minds.

The End

2007-11-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

In this class we started with Once Upon a Time, and now it's time for the ending. Is it a happy one? Well... it would have been, but the last chapter was kind of depressing. All this talk of virtual worlds, and no more new thoughts and computers taking over. I liked the last chapter, not nearly as much as I liked a majority of the book though. Here's something I didn't quite understand: "Benjamin predicted that the new age of mass reproduction and technological communications would threaten the traditional practices of imaginative creation, and our 'ability to exchange experiences" (178). Why would it change any of those? Doesn't mass reproduction give you the ability to exchange your experiences with a wider audience? Isn't it a writers and poets dream to be published? Which in itself is an endorsement of mass reproduction. Maybe I am not understanding this section at all. I understand if someone was plagiarizing your work, but reproduction of (lets say art) allows me (someone who doesn't half millions of dollars to drop on a Pollock painting) to purchase a print of it that may not convey as much meaning as the original, but it still conveys a meaning to me (the purchaser of the print). And although I think Andy Warhol was a little to full of himself when he said he can create 4,000 works in 24 hours, if he could do that and sell it at a decent (normal people can buy) price, wouldn't you want to own one? I think I would. Or is it only worth while if he did the painting once? Again, maybe I have misinterpreted the meaning behind that section, but that's why I'm confused.

Creativity

2007-11-14T11:58:00.000-05:00

can’t believe that we are at the end of book! I really enjoyed reading this book and have learned very interesting information.
I think that all of us are being creative in everything we do. Yes, some have more creativity than others, but overall we all are creative. As the book states, “creativity is seen as a skill to be cultivated, a source of that fuels innovation and success in endeavor: business, personal, artistic, communal, and entrepreneurial.” (pg 177) Mary Jane, you’re not the only one that had to think about the statement, “art involves creativity, creativity does not perhaps involve art.”(178) Art does involve creativity, but creativity involves a lot more then just art. Right?
I agree with the statement made about the computer not being creative (184). I think that computers have made us lazy and made life too easy for us. For example, we don’t even have to use dictionaries anymore because we have spell check on Microsoft word and it even lets us know when we have fragment sentences. How easy is that! I do believe that the web allows you to do some very creative work. Computers do play a dominant part in our world. Although, I believe that computers have made life too easy for us, I couldn’t imagine life without a computer.

2007-11-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

"Creativity Now" made me laugh out loud at some parts, and others made me want to cry. My mother always said that I was born thirty years too late, mostly because of my obsession with Heart, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen (and let's not forget the E Street Band), Styx, and Supertramp when I was barely nine years old. That's always made me feel like somewhat of an old soul... being on the bus with The Moody Blues in my Walkman and my big-ass flared jeans. I feel like things were simplier then (even though I know better now). When I started taking art history courses, then I began to think that maybe I was born many many centuries too late, because I could've been happy living in Egypt under Akhenaten, or on the island of Crete (the supposed location of Atlantis). I just feel like things in antiquity were much simpler. This chapter reaffirmed all of this.

"In fact the concept of imagination itself is under attack in the postmodern Western world, where the creative humanist imagination has been replaced by a depersonalized computer system of pseudoimages."

Geez.... bleh. Way too true, Mr. Hughes. Real, original pieces of art have little resonance in our mass-media age because they can be reproduced so easily. It was depressing when he quoted Andy Warhol and his 4,000 pieces of art that he can do in 24 hours. They'll all be the same work, he said, and all of them masterpieces. That makes me feel like no matter what I do in my life to make it special, someone has already done it, said it, thought it, painted it, whispered it, sung it, shouted it, lived it. It made me feel kinda insignificant because of the shadow that technology pours over this day-and-age.

Even the music that I love oh so much from back in the day can't be praised as originality when artists today are reproducing songs that have already been sung. Movies do the same thing... how many remakes can you make of Ocean's 11, Hairspray, and The Italian Job? This ability to so easily pirate/mock-originality made me think of all of the wonderful little diva singer-girls that have been caught lip-syncing. You know Britney Spears (pre-cosmic-breakdown Britney) was banned from performing anywhere in Hershey Entertainment and Resorts after her first concert? This was back in like 2003 or 2004. Why? Oh she lip-synced the whoooole concert. And Ashlee Simpson on whatever late night show that was? It's kinda gotten sad. It makes a girl wonder what she can do in her life to mold it into what she really wants it to be.

Final thoughts on Hughes

2007-11-13T21:34:00.000-05:00

I must start this final blog by saying that I truly enjoyed reading this book. There were so many things that I found absolutely fascinating, and at times some things I had a hard time wrapping my brain around.

I found when Hughes stated “the idea of a unique imagination producing a unique object degenerates into a play of infinite repetition”, a little sad, but true. It’s sad mainly because as Walter Benjamin stated you have someone who created a “symbol”, a person who poured every ounce of themselves into creating something truly beautiful, such as Monet’s “Water lilies”. Only then, especially in this day and age to have it turned into an “allegory”. Today replicas of that painting among many other paintings can be found on mouse pads, posters, coffee cups and t-shirts. Something that was once original, rare and beautiful is now readily available to any person. The sad part is that most people probably have no clue who originally created the picture on the coffee mug they are drinking out of.

Creativity is Art.

2007-11-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

This chapter brought aspects of today and creativity together in a way that I found to be very interesting. As an individual who has always had a passion for writing, and was always interested in a career in writing, but never had any inspiration, this whole course has given me much input and knowledge on how to achieve the creativity I desire.

I think creativity is something that is always changing; it is always something one must work on, practice makes perfect. Maybe not so much in this aspect, however, the more experience one has will perhaps create better results in the future. I would also have to agree with Mary Jane... the quote that was in the beginning of this chapter, "...Art involves creativity, creativity does not perhaps involve art." When I think of creativity, I think of it as an art because you are developing something, perhaps original, but maybe with small idea from other people. It is a way in which one can express oneself, and I think that in itself is definitely an art. Creativity is always helping one to explore his or her self. One can learn about themselves through creativity; about their strengths and weaknesses, wants and needs, fears and desires, etc.

Creativity is an art. I believe that it is a way in which we all express our emotions, thoughts, and feelings. I think that it is an important part of our lives because without it we would not have music, movies, art, architecture, etc. Creativity is all around us in several different ways, we just have acknowledge it.

Creativity

2007-11-12T21:13:00.000-05:00

I had to think a little bit about the comment in the Hughes textbook, “art involves creativity, creativity does not perhaps involve art.” I have created some art projects and it takes creativity to come up with the final art project. There are so many decisions to make in the creation of the project, such as what to draw, what type of art supplies to use, the colors and texture, etc. On the other hand, I do agree that creativity does not involve art all the time. Each time we create a new paper for one of our classes, it is being creative, but it is not really art. But then again, maybe it is art. Wouldn’t it be expressed as the art of creating a paper? The Hughes textbook also mentioned “ The future belongs to those who create it.” As college students we are all creating our own futures, so the future belongs to us!

The Modern Jungle

2007-11-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

Technology's influence on people, culture, and artistic endeavors can be traced far back; the closest use of modern technology I can think of in literiture is Shelly's Frankenstein. It seems like every part of our lives is, in some way or another, influenced by technology. Be it by the internet, our cell phones, or kitchen utensils.

Technology has allowed us to have almost infinite amounts of informaton at our fingerprints. (I've often argued that it is possible to learn far more by reading and researching on the internet or in books on one's own than from school, why take information from one person on a topic, when you can take information from millions of people's minds?) In fact, I'd argue that the internet is the new "spiritual" playground. People can enter "other worlds" on the internet. There are online games that put you into the role of a character, you can use your own personality or Create a different one. Millions can discuss together and exchange ideas. Creations can be posted and inspire others to further creativity. The Internet both promotes and shoots down business and advertising. It allows for businesses to leave their trace everywhere, but also for an endless amount of freedom to the every day user.

Technology allows for more ways to be create, to make your imagination a "reality."

Creativity Today

2007-11-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

There are many inducers such as drugs, isolation, and religion that can put a person in an altered state. Today, the most common inducer seems to be due to the fact that we live in an information age with access to many types of technology. The main one of course is the internet, the information highway. Through it we have access to things such as learning about cultures and their customs all over the world and we don't have to physically travel to anywhere but the nearest computer with access to the world wide web. The internet in a way could be refered as a drug addiction, since you can go almost anywhere and do many things through it. You can listen and download music, shop for clothes and groceries, and even go to work or school. So you may not be at a store, concert, or classroom, but can imagine you are.
If it wasn't for people that were inspired through different altered states that helped inpire them to use their creative abilities we would not have such an easy access to an overload of information. The big problem though is that some people spend hours on end in the information highway, so what would they do without access? With the advancement of technology comes more repitition of different things. We become easily influenced to buy this or that due to things such as adversements that use pop art. The constant exposure to different colors, sounds, and patterns can put some viewers in a sort of trance. We still have imagination and creativity, but in more and more advanced forms. Creativity has gone a long way from the simple cave drawings to digital animation and much more. Through the use of internet, and other technologies, we have a wider range of options that can be done in shorter periods of time. One example mentioned in the chapter is Andy Warhol who claimed to be able to produce 4,000 works in 24 hours compared to Picasso who produced that amount in his lifetime.

Creativity Now?

2007-11-10T20:27:00.000-05:00

We live in a world of things seen, a world that is visual, and we use much of our physical and emotional energy on the act of seeing. Like fish, we swim in a sea of images, and these images help shape our perceptions of the world and ourselves. However, I don't see much creativity in big business. To me, creativity seems to lurk in the corners being seen only by only those who can understand and relate it to their own life.

I especially liked the Quote "The future belongs to those who create it." It reminds me of the question about the seashell; what is a seashell to you? Is it dead,sterile and empty or is it natural, elegant and beautiful? Like creativity its not what you see, but what you are looking for.

Blog 10 or Art is Always Commerce

2007-11-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

Maybe not cave paintings but hasn't art always existed to make the artist some money? There are exceptions of course as there is to everything, but i can't imagine an artist not wanting to make enough money to survive or at least eat something. I knew an artist who would get so busy, so involved in her work that she would forget to eat. Only later when she was ready to collapse from exhaustion and hunger would she stop and think, "oh yeah i haven't had anything to eat all day." But she still wanted to make money for her work. Bills to pay, etc. We have less, I imagine, of the patron artist in today's world. There are grants available but eventually the money goes away and you have to fins a way to pay the bills.

There also seems to be a difference in the medium. It appears that writers don't have a problem taking the money or so the press would show. Though there is probably one million starving authors for every one Stephen King and a million painters for every Thomas Kinkade (give me the million, thank you), etc. We hear about popular authors, musicians much more than we hear about popular "artists" probably because those mediums are much more accessible to the masses. But holy cow there are a lot of art galleries in NYC and for that matter in Harrisburg and they all seem to want to make some money.

I don't see any problem with that.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T17:36:00.000-05:00

Oh my stars, i had to re-read the Hughes chapters over again to get understanding, but i enjoyed Huxley didn't bounce around so much like Hughes and i think that he talked about things that other writers were afraid or just didn't want to write about and he asked questions that people probably wanted to know for a very long time such as dreams and drugs . Just as Sarah's blog when she talked about religious statues are a little bit too high when religion is supposed to way for a person to change their lives and not a cult because i attend a a baptist church , there are so many rules and regulations just as the catholic churches such as women can't wear pants to church on Sunday or any other day if there is church services. My bishop has the right to approve whether he wants someone to be one the church choir or not even if they want to join, it's not their choice. Religion is always being questioned in today's society because there 's so many rules and all religion is here for is to change people's lives to become better people.

Heaven & Hell

2007-11-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

This was definitely an interesting read, and I found myself re-reading pages like so many of you! I'm not sure if it was the switch from being used to Hughes and his style, jumping around so much, but I think Huxley required much more focus. Might have also been the topics of choice, and the fact that religion always catches my eye. I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school...have the kind of family that said I couldn't take my baby out of the house until she was baptized... which was all a bit too crazy for me, and has always been too much for my husband. Organized religion on the whole I think works, sometimes must be transformed or changed a bit, but it works. It's worked for thousands of years, through all kinds of events, wars, coloniziations, etc. It's perservered through history's blunders and good times. The main thing we need to do is put aside the differences and realize religion is a way for all of us to get through life, to put emphasis on our beliefs about right and wrong, and ultimately to keep people in order and doing the right thing. I do believe in God, and in many teachings of the Catholic Church, but I definitely ask too many questions and got a few raised eyebrows through highschool. Anyway, Huxley was refreshing because I enjoy reading about people who aren't afraid to ask questions.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

Huxley's Heaven and Hell is an amazing read. I found myself often lost in his descriptions and arguments. I really liked how analytical this work was. He made some very convincing claims with evidence from around the world to support them. It’s almost as though he’s written a paper on our entire class; in the sense that Heaven and Hell is encompassing as it looks to altered states of consciousness from all the angles. I also like how Huxley makes it known in the begging of the essay that we have quite a ways to go in the exploration of the mind. He makes no attempt to cover up of the vast unknown that we call our brains. This really sets the tone for the rest of the paper; that for those searching for the key to the mysteries of the mind, a great understanding of the rituals of the past is needed, as well as a current understanding of the scientific research that is available to you. Huxley did a fantastic job of combining the old and the new for what makes a truly thought provoking essay on the abyss inside our skulls

Don't hate me :)

2007-11-07T16:02:00.001-05:00

I've really been into some underground, anti-establishment media lately; particularly Alex Jones, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. Jones is most notorious for his 9-11 conspiracy theories, while Dawkins and Jones believe that religious reign has become to prominent in government, not only in our country but throughout the world. I find this particularly interesting considering the state of our times, post 9-11. Has the country become even more religious since Sept. 11? I think so, but thats OK; what's not OK is the separation between church and state is shrinking with each year. President Bush has not made it a secret that he believes it is his God's will to win in Iraq.

What's factual is the world in general is becoming less interested with religious beliefs, and more interested in FACT. In a poll taken in 2004, less than 6% of Europeans considered themselves religious-- 6%!!! People want to know why things are the way they are; an ancient book, whose author is still debatable, doesn't cut it for most anymore.

Some people would label the literature or media of Dawkins, Harris, Jones and Micheal Moore just political propaganda which demoralizes patriotism around the country. But as this class has focused on the themes of perception, take one moment to step out of the mindset that everything we know is true, because:

A. Our parents said so
B. The Bible (or Koran or Torah)
C. The government said so

Is it possible that none of these sources are reliable at all? I am not meaning to offend anyone who reads this, I'm only trying to create a spark in your mind for a split second that perhaps has never fired before.

Organized Religion In General...

2007-11-07T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have always been opposed to organized religion. It doesn't really make sense to me. Why do we need rules and regulations set in place for us by men who commit the same crimes they preach against? How can one earthly man have a closer connection to God than I do? I suppose those are extreme questions, but they are all strengthened by the opening subjects in Heaven and Hell. The aspects of hypnosis are there in the traditional catholic mass. Huxley shows them to us in a way that makes it impossible to dispute. It is common knowledge that many of the catholic traditions are adapted traditions of other religions/cultures. Huxley shows us that the altered state of consciousness is no different. The question is: are they conscious of the other consciousness? Do they set the church up in this way purposefully to lull us into an altered state of consciousness? Is it simply another borrowed tradition, or is it brainwashing?

Brainwashing... that sounds so vindictive, but I can't help but think it sometimes. Am I the only one that sees this extreme? The catholic church has become an enterprise, a corporation.

I went to a catholic school until 7th grade, Sacred Heart to be exact. My last year at the school, they shut down the church for remodeling. The church was beautiful to begin with, but they began bringing in imported marble, gold statues, and gold altar furniture.

In the actual school (directly across the street from the church), the tiles would literally pop off the floor if you stepped on them the wrong way. My gym teacher was my art, music, and library teacher. They shut down the school for good not long after the reopening of the church.

What does that show? They cared more about the appearance of their church than the education of their children. They would rather adorn the church walls with gold and marble than continue educating their children with catholic values.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

I thought that this was an interesting read, however I have to agree with a few people when they said they had to re-read some pages. It was a switch from Hughes, so when I started reading I was still in that mind set and had to change a little. I found it very interesting that the majority of dreams aren't in color. Maybe it appeared odder to me because I can't ever remember a dream I have had that wasn't in color. Since they really didn't offer any explanation besides not really understanding yet, it was intriguing. I also think that if (through mescaline or hypnosis) I saw all the colors and visions that were described, and then I had to see things normally again, it would be more depressing then never have seen them in the first place.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

I did not realize that there was a natural acid that the body can produce to nullify the effects of mesaclin, acid, or LSD. By fasting you lower your blood sugar you can enter states of consciousness that do not involve any survival instincts at all. I think that fasting would be a good way to enter an altered state. I have tried water and sleep deprivation. Fasting I would like to try and I have a good friend that is muslim. I think that the fasting for 1 month could do world's of good for a person. Whether its cleansing the mind and spirit or cleaning the body and soul fasting would be something that everyone could do.

“Other worlds” out of this world

2007-11-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

No media product, whether it was article, textbook, or book has better summed up the central themes of this class better than the documentary, “Other worlds.”
Among the many interesting and well thought our topics presented during the film the idea that science, religion and philosophy are all really related resonated the most with me. Not only are they related, but also the gateway to confirm this idea comes through altered states of consciousness.
This film also confirms that techniques and knowledge for entering, traveling and returning from these altered states is not as easy as ingesting a plant and waiting for the fuzzy stuff to begin. The shamans in this film are described to use almost every technique discussed by our class to enter other realms of consciousness. They experience deprivation, chant, use psychotropic plants, inflict pain—it was all mentioned and described in the film. Not only did they use these techniques they perfected and acted as a guide for others to the point that experts on the film called what they did a “science.”
Getting back to the my main point, the double helix discussion during this film has to be convincing evidence we consider the relationship between what people experience during an altered state and DNA. The noble prize guy was very compelling, but the fact that the double helix has appeared in native artwork on five separate continents has to show a relationship between the two.
Science is brought into the fold through the DNA portion, but religion is tied in with assertion made early in the film, that every major religion started with an individual that could have possibly been in an altered state of consciousness at the time of contact with higher beings. Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha all have these similar experiences.
Finally philosophy is easily related to all this because the central theme of altered states revolves around how we perceive reality. The question of how we perceive reality begins in Modern Greek philosophy with Socrates and Plato, follows through every other philosophical unit, right up to Emmanuel Kant and beyond.
This blog is only the tip of the iceberg in relationship to all the interesting topics brought up by “Other worlds.”
One more this I though was interesting and is just an observation I had about the film. At two point in the film the eye movements of the shaman and the French filmmaker looked like eyes in the state of REM. (At 28:54 for the Shaman and 56:00 for the filmmaker) The film also discussed the Chacruna plants ability to increase serotonin level in the brain. As we discussed before serotonin levels also increase when we dream. Could the altered states seen in the film be related to dreaming?

Heaven + Hell

2007-11-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

I thought that Heaven and Hell was a very interesting read. When first venturing into this part of the book, I came to the conclusion that it was going to be about the religious Heaven and Hell, however, once I read further, I realized that Huxley seemed to be speaking about Good and Evil. It was about the visionary experience - the beauty in the world - and then for Hell he used a schizophrenic as an example.

On page 134, it says: "Everything that, for healthy visionaries, is a source of bliss brings to Renee only fear and a nightmarish sense of unreality. The summer sunshine is malignant; the gleam of polished surfaces is suggestive not of gems, but of machinery and enameled tin; the intensity of existence which animates every object, when seen at close range and out of its utilitarian context, is felt as a menace."

The pictures that he paints with his use of descriptive text allows the reader to envision exactly what he is seeing. On page 103, it says: "There exists, he tells us, an ideal world above and beyond the world of matter. 'In this other earth the colors are much purer and much more brilliant than they are down here.... The very mountains, the very stones have a richer gloss, a lovelier transparency and intensity of hue. The precious stones of this lower world, our highly prized cornelians, jaspers, emeralds and all the rest, are but the tiny fragments of these stones above. In the other earth there is no stone but is precious and exceeds in beauty every gem of ours.'" It was interesting the way he described Heaven to be of this pure beauty, something that no one has ever experienced before, and something that no one could imagine. The beauty of Heaven surely exceeds the beauty and pureness of our planet earth and what we perceive Heaven to be.

Posted For Erik

2007-11-07T13:59:00.001-05:00

I liked Heaven and Hell. I thought the points given were quite compelling and very intuitive. Many of the things in which Huxley attempts to convey make much sense and hit me aside the head in a way that made me read MANY pages more than once. The whole idea of reaching the altered state through so many paths, the brining out into the open the things in which Huxley throws at you, put me in an altered state just reading his book.

Heaven And Hell

2007-11-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

I thought that "Heaven And Hell" was interesting to read, but I found myself getting lost a lot. Huxley made some great connections. I'm assuming that in the beginning of the chapter Huxley was comparing mescalin to hypnosis? If I understood it right, I think he was. Huxley states, "the visions met with under the influence of mescalin or hypnosis are always intensely and, one might say, preternaturally brilliant in color."(89)
I also found it interesting that Professor Calvin Hall states that about two - thirds of all dreams are in black and white. I personally always dream in color. When I was reading this chapter last night, this really caught my attention and I was hoping I would dream last night and remember if it was in color. My dream was all in color. Professor Hall says that only a few people dream in color. Dr. Hall came to the conclusion that, "color in dreams yields no information about the personality of the dreamer."(90) If I'm reading into Dr. Hall's conclusion correctly about dreaming in color, I have no personality!! Could this really be true?
Dr. Kearney, I also found myself reading many many pages over and over again!

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T12:10:00.001-05:00

I really thought that Heaven and Hell was a great read. I love Huxley's writing style. His logical progression is so solid that even if I am questioning the content of what he is saying I still find myself amazed at the clarity and concreteness of his arguments. As I was reading I kept asking myself if the inclusion of statistical or medical data involving brain scans or something like that would enrich the text, but ultimately I feel that being inundated with statistical data would weigh down the poetic nature of his writing. The idea of ancient people seeing color and brightness in an entirely different context than a modern observer has some interesting implications in regards to historical revision. It begs the question of how the conquistadors, encased in reflective armor of polished steel, would have been received by native peoples of the Western hemisphere.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed reading Huxley's "Heaven and Hell" essay. To be completely honest, it wasn't at all what I expected. The essay explains the relationship between bright, colorful objects, geometric designs, psychoactives, art, and profound experience.

I particularly found Huxley talking about the difference between mystical experience and visionary experience and how the mystical is beyond the realm of opposites and visionary is still within the realm of opposites very interesting.

Being a religious person, whenever I think of heaven and hell, I automatically think about Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." His images of hell, purgatory, and heaven are brilliantly thought out and visually stunning.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

Maybe I just wasn't understanding what he was saying, but I didn't agree with Huxley on some things.
I agree with Huxley that art does possess some “mystical” ability to transport our thinking to “other worlds,” worlds, which we do not concern ourselves with during our day to day activities. It is in this other area of our psyche that our imagination runs wilds and allows us to be creative.
“To be busy is the law of our being. The law of theirs is to do nothing” (Huxley 120). I found this to be an interesting idea, that the “creations,” or “Cherubim” as William Blake calls them, of our “other world” don’t really do anything, and “a heroic figure at rest is has a greater transporting power than one which is shown in action” (Huxley 121). I am not sure I agree, but there is something intriguing about seeing a statue of a Greek hero at leisure.
“Shiny objects may remind our unconscious of what it enjoys at the mind’s antipodes, and these obscure intimations of life in the Other World are so fascinating that we pay less attention to this world and so become capable of experiencing consciously something of that which, unconsciously, is always with us” (Huxley 106). It seems to me that he is really reaching here. Could it not be that we are simply focusing/meditating and that allows us to feel more clear and lost (go inside ourselves). I don’t agree that are interest and the “transporting” power of artwork, focusing on objects, or color remind us of another world. It seems more likely we either focus till enter anther state of conscious or are imagination/thinking begins to run wild.
Huxley states that most people dream in black & white; I wonder if most people today still dream in black & white; I myself, never remember my dreams, and when I use my imagination I don’t even think about color, one way or the other. If anyone does remember which their dreams are, I‘d be interested to know.
I also, disagree with the idea vision-inducing art is at its best when it comes from artists who have had a visionary experience. It seems to me that many people are “transported” by things other than these artists, be it the world around them, seeing the Virgin Mary in a taco, or by a bunch of splotches on the wall.
I felt as though he were reaching on many points, sort of like our Altered States book, without providing very much support for his ideas. He tries to relate everything we do, are, or see to these “alien other worlds.” While some of his points are interesting, I didn’t really feel like Huxley explained himself well or provided enough proof.

Thoughts on Heaven and Hell

2007-11-06T21:29:00.001-05:00

I have to say that I found Heaven and Hell to be quite an interesting read. It is sad but I never really thought how about how we take simple everyday things for granted, especially when there was a time when objects such as velvet or precious gems were not available to most people, basically only to the wealthy. Very few people possessed “vision inducing treasures” and here most of us sit surrounded by them not evening realizing it.

I found when Huxley was talking about the difference between mystical experience and visionary experience and how the mystical is beyond the realm of opposites and visionary is still within the realm of opposites to be very interesting. Especially when he said “Heaven entails hell, and “going to heaven” is no more liberation than is the descent into horror. Heaven is merely a vantage point, from which the divine Ground can be more clearly seen than on the level of ordinary individualized existence.” There was something about that statement that is so profound to me. I struck me immediately.

One last note, I also must agree with Mary Jane, I dream in color as well. Though, I don’t think believe it is all the time, I can remember some dreams vividly which were in color.

The little Things

2007-11-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles,and warm wollen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. Remember when we used to notice things like that?We all have things that put us in a good mood, or calm us. That is what I kept thinking about while I was reading Heaven and Hell. What might happen if you are having negative emotions when you take mescalin? What happens when you drive while listening to "Ramble On" by Zepplin?. It affects you to your core.

Black polished chrome, ever looked at your reflection on a piece of chrome?. No matter how perfect the chrome there is some distortion. If you look at that distortion long enough it can begin to mess with your head, take you to another world.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

I was informed in a previous class that the Catholic Church is still in the dominant position to identify certain books as dangerous. Heaven and Hell surely must be on their Black List. In the appendices, it explains that people in Biblical times suffered from vitamin deficiencies, causing the nervous system to be more vulnerable than other areas of the body. It goes on to say that the result of an inadequate diet lowers the efficiency of the brain, thus causing anxiety, depression and also visions. Most of the early visionaries experienced terrifying visions, like in Christian theology – the Devil revealing himself and the visions with GOD. I hate to say this, but this story points toward throwing the Bible out the door, therefore it would be very interesting to know if Heaven and Hell is condemned by the church. I can certainly understand why it would be on their list of condemned books.

On pages 116 and 117, of Heaven and Hell, Aldous Huxley talks about all the glut of chrome and nickel, of stainless steel and aluminum and the other new alloys. Heaven and Hell is copyrighted in the late 50s. At that time silver was the in thing! I can remember having a silver tree and all the balls and trimmings in shades of the silver too. It was really the style at that time, so I can see where Huxley is coming from in his description of this.

Also, I have one last comment. I had a dream last night and I dreamed throwing a red rubber bone to my dog. My dreams are in color.

Heaven and Hell

2007-11-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

I found this reading very interesting and facinating. It refers to how different shapes and colors in nature or artwork can be "transporting" and take a person to "other worlds" I prefered this reading more than doors of perception though they were both interesting. It is so true when Huxley mentions how the everyday objects and colors we are used to today were not always available and usually owned by the few prevelidged. Some colors and metals when they were new or rare would put people in an altered state becaused they would be so entranced by the colors and reflections. The traditional things that led to altered states do not work so effectively anymore for most of us because we are so used to things like the neon signs and crome and other metel items such as our sinks and dishes. It is hard to imagine some of the things that would lead people to vissions and still due. A person just needs the right type of environment and sometimes drugs such as mescaline. While many vissions can be heavenly there is also always the violent and trechoris visions as well. The mood also tends to have an affect when interacting with certain colors and sounds.

Jean Giraud aka Moebius artwork samples

2007-11-04T17:46:00.001-05:00

http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/images/MOEBIUS/MOEBIUS-09.GIF
http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/images/MOEBIUS/MOEBIUS-03.GIF
http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/images/MOEBIUS/MOEBIUS-04.GIF
http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/images/MOEBIUS/MOEBIUS-08.GIF

Blog 10 . . . Somehow It All Makes Sense

2007-11-04T16:24:00.000-05:00

Fascinating.

You must have a Hell if you have a Heaven. One of those dichotomies of life. If everything was
perfect, how would you know? It is only when we have something with which to compare experiences can we truly see what is good or evil. We agree that murder is bad but self defense is not. Both take a life, but do they weigh upon the conscience in the same way? I don't see how they could but the psyche is a strange thing. I don't know and I hope I don't have to find out.

Huxley appears to be saying that how you go into your experience determines the type of "trip" you will have. (Right?) That seems to make sense to me. You hear about different types of drunks: mean, loud, affectionate, sad; I would expect that a lot of that is based on your subconscious. The alcohol just ramps up the already existing emotions and I would imagine that the psychotropics just accentuate the mood of how you go in.

The dude took 100 journeys with the shaman! I love Moebius' artwork, never really thought that he might be using mood-altering substances, though it makes a lot of sense now that I see the worlds that are inhabited when you crossover. I just thought he had a very vivid imagination. And as an artist I guess he does. He just brought some of the stuff back with him.

Blog 10

2007-11-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

This is a really cool response to The Doors of Perception. But, I definately favor The Doors of Perception. Therefore, I lean more to talking about The Doors of Perception. But, both of the works are really interesting to read and are written in such an intriguing way. I really did not know much about some of the things which he was analyzing, but he describes things well and makes it easy to comprehend and even picture.

Also I never took mescaline but I have been hypnotised and the way in which he describes the effects of the/his use of mescalin, lysergic acid, stroboscopic lamp, and hypnosis to get to the antipode area is really neat. And, I understand that the antipodes is an area of deep collective unconscious, but did he create this? Or is this something studied or how does it work?

He also saw really cool geometrical forms and enormous gothic buildings. He noted these beautiful landscapes, figures, animals, and gem stones and everything is shown in really vivid color. Is he saying that we would see things this way if the "restricting valve" was not so tight? Or we should be seeing things this way during periods of intense concentration, sex?

"This how one ought to see...these are the sort of things one ought to look at....things without pretensions, satisfied to be merely themselves, sufficient in their Suchness, not acting a part, not trying, insanely, to go it alone, in isolation from the Dharma-Body, in Luciferian defiance of the grace of god."<----ooooooo!

Chapter 12

2007-10-31T16:54:00.000-04:00

I agree with others that this chapter was handled well. It was informative and in the first page, actually the first paragraph, he pretty much says that art and creativity is better when it's done "cold" and just because you take drugs doesn't mean that you are going to be instantly creative (almost like a public service announcement). That actually surprised me, I will admit that I always thought that people did drugs to see something and write it down. However he says that although it does change the perception and enhances the "ordinary" consciousness, "[it] often lacks the quality that enables the imagination to reach deep into the unconciousness."

Although I am at a lose for a cohernt thought about the chapther, there were a few random things I wanted to mention: the part about hearing color, reminded me about Matt's overview last week and "seeing music". I never could understand when I heard (or read) that, but last week I could understand that the subjects of those paintings were music. So, I can't really understand how that would sound or if people could do that, but I can accept it more now. Another random thing is how mushrooms and fairies go hand in hand. Anymore, I think it's because it became the "norm" rather then people experiencing a "vision" while on drugs. Last thing, I don't know if anyone has seen the Walt Disney/Salvador Dali short movie. To me it was very strange and kind of disturbing, but that's just me.

Style, Grace, and Misrepresentation

2007-10-31T16:30:00.001-04:00

I want to agree with Matt 100%. I don't think I could have put it more elegantly and simply. Hughes tackled this subject with a maturity and objectivity that made it respectable. Personally, I honed in on the very last section on Ecstasy. Because of my personal experiences, I am upset by his statement that a "sense of togetherness is available in tablet form, but only for the duration of the high." This is entirely untrue. Many people to subscribe to the "rave culture" do not take ecstasy. They do, however, contribute to the sense of togetherness that can be felt at a modern rave. Similarly, ravers exhibit the same togetherness when outside of the rave environment. Their way of life, their particular culture, is collective. They have been misrepresented in this chapter.
I would like to share with everyone The Raver's Manifesto, but it is too large to post in this blog. I will bring it to class with me, and we can discuss it further if necessary.

Chapter 12

2007-10-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

I never knew that the DARE program actually had such a big impact on people. I have always been a drug advocate, and I feel that Hughes handled this chapter with the maturity that is necessary for any meaningful discussion about drugs to take place. I think that it is essential for all people, especially students, to experiment with drugs in all of their manifestations if any complex understanding of human civilization is to be achieved. Nothing can be held sacred or profane if the true depths of human understanding are to ever be reached. I believe that the culture of fear that has been built around drug use is ultimately responsible for most of the crime and turmoil associated with drugs. But anyways, like I was saying Hughes handled the topic with maturity. I think it is important that with every drug he pointed out how ultimately it requires a skilled hand and dedication if the drug experimenter is to produce something of artistic or creative value.

Chemical Imbalance

2007-10-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

While I found this chapter to be interesting, I also found it to be slightly disturbing. It felt kind of weird to be reading about drugs for an academic class. But anyhow... I still find it extremely interesting that so many creatives, in one way, shape or another, have had experiences with so many different types of drugs or psychological issues. I haven't really had any experiences with any types of drugs, just because I was so afraid in elementary school learning from DARE about how drugs can do bad things to you, yadda, yadda, yadda, and was too scared to even think about experimenting with any type.

I think it is interesting to note that that so many of these drugs that are currently illegal - or viewed to be - were previously popular in earlier cultures. Like opium was used several different aspects whether it be for a medicine, sleep aid, and other uses. These days every type of drug seems to be illegal or outlawed; even those that could potentially provide good things.

Those magic mushrooms are fun

2007-10-31T14:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I am not ashamed (nor should I be) to admit that in my youth, years ago, I did eat mushrooms, more than once. I ate them within a safe environment and did not drive or have prior obligations that day or the next. The feeling was quite euphoric; like i said it was years ago, but I can still remember seeing trailers of leafless tree branches swaying in the cold wind of that December night.

I ate them with some friends-- we had fun, didn't harm anyone, and the 'shrooms did no harm to us. It was a unique experience; I specifically remember the first time I ate them and it felt like I was discovering the world around me for the very first time, like I was a newborn, but with the cognitive ability and awareness of an adult! I stared at my hand for about an hour; I noticed things about it that I had never realized before. It's crevices and wrinkles, the palm lines, the knuckles seemed to stand up more prominently; it was wild. And I can remember a feeling of creativity come over me that I haven't felt since I was a young boy. This ties into one of my earlier blogs about creativity and youth.

Anyway, reading this chapter, specifically the part about the shaman women of the Central American cult of teonanacatl, brought back those memories for me. It reminded me that all the stuff in the chapter is legitimate, that the world can be seen from another point of view simply through ingestion of a natural (or sometimes synthetic) substance. The vehicles are there, but most are illegal in this part of the world. How unfortunate.

Drugs and Creativity

2007-10-31T12:28:00.000-04:00

This chapter was interesting and at the same time freaked me out a little. I've known about the dangers and side effects of drugs from D.A.R.E. in grade school. I've never taken anything but perscription drugs when I was sick and really needed it. I personally like to experience life in all its agonizing glory, be alert and aware of my surroundings, and not dull the sensations. It's not a surprise to me that a lot of artists and entertainers have used drugs, either to inhance their creativity or just get high, which is just plain sad.

Unlike some of the people on the blog, I knew Sherlock Holmes uses drugs. Read the novels or watch Jeopardy!, and you'll learn something new every time. Ha ha ha.

Chapter 12

2007-10-31T11:41:00.000-04:00

I was surprised by a couple of things in this chapter, mostly much like Jennifer I never knew that Sherlock Holmes used cocaine. I was very much shocked by that. I didn't realize either that Walt Disney used cocaine, but after reading that it made sense to me. A couple of people had stated in there blogs that it is sad that so many great artists had to use drugs to enhance their creative talents and I have to say I fully agree. I have stated before that I am not a very creative person by any stretch of the imagination, but I would have to believe that if I were I would not need to rely on mind altering drugs to enhance my ability. I have had my fair share of experimentation in drugs, and I found most of my experiences to be more frightening then enlightening. Some people may find it useful to tap into that part of themselves that they meet along their drug induced journey, but I however cannot concur.

chapter 12

2007-10-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

I found this chapter particularly interesting because I wrote my paper on this same thing almost. I wrote about how grunge rockers; to be more direct Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley and his heroin and cocaine addictions. I really identified with this chapter because most artists are chemically dependent and I feel for my creativity and my writing I am dependent on a few things. The influences in music I have, what I have to be upset or depressed about, and alcohol. While not an alcoholic as of yet I have a beer or two while I'm upset and I can write some very good and very disturbing to some song lyrics for my metalcore/thrash metal band Death Mulisha. Its basically my friends and myself from back home in Pittsburgh. I write all the lyrics and I sing them. We are just starting out so me writing some original rock your face off songs is good. I have used stuff from what ex's have done to me to what has happened up to this point this year. Most musicians end up using drugs recreationaly and then becoming addicted and like most ultimately destroying themselves or the band. Yet for some such as Miles Davis who is arguably of the greatest or the greatest jazz musician thus far quite heroin cold turkey and went on to have a full and productive career.

Most of your writers, artist, and musicians are/were drug users. Be it alcohol, opiates, cannibus, cocaine, LSD, acid, X, or what have you. They ended up being chemically dependent. I have heard stories of artists using these drugs and becoming totally insane or even dying on an overdose. Now the Rastas in Jamaica use cannibus legally for its medicinal purposes and I think that really it should be allowed here. It would put an end to all the hassles people go through but that's neither here nor there.

If the medicinal purposes of cannibus are known to help with a fair number of problems why use it to see if it can be helpful instead of it being deemed harmful. Back in the 1920'and 1930's when people were addicted to morphine the government and hospitals used heroin to help them with their addictions. Look at what happened there. Look at the fact that Coke used to actually include cocaine. The drug culture is always and will always be around us. Its whether or not we choose to embrace like the Rastas and the Shamans or shun like Puritans.

The Seductive Poppy

2007-10-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

The poppy is such a beautiful flower, but when I was in high school I never connected it with opium. I guess I just wasn’t into the drug scene back then. I was always an art student and one time the poppy captured my eye enough to draw it. I was able to capture all its details. To me, the poppy is very seductive, even without the opium. I often think of the festive dancers that have a poppy in their hair dancing a tango, or another lively dance. The poppy is a symbol of seductiveness with, or without the opium use.

There is a portrait of Lewis Carroll with a hookah. It just seems to fit with this chapter and our talks about him. I never made the connection that opium and other drugs had no restrictions in his day and there were no laws against it. It also surprised me about the cordials for putting children to sleep. I have often read stories about people in the nineteenth century taking sleeping drafts, but I did not make the connection with the drugs until now.

drugs and creativity

2007-10-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

This chapter is a bit interesting. It is sad to think that so many people, whether or not they already had a natural creative talent, used drugs. In some cases it may have enhanced their talent, while others did not do as well or better than before addiction. From opium to marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD; people used them to experiment with and even used them for health reasons. Unfortunately many drugs were and are addictive and sometimes when a person has them, the dosage they use increases to keep the same effect because the body starts getting used to the drug. People would just use it for its supposed calm or high effects, or just to fit in with the crowd.
Some drugs like opium were produced and used in many forms. It was even given to children as medicine like laudanum or cordials to put them to sleep. Some writers and poets such as De Quincey, Coleridge, and Poe were users. Even though they noted there "madness" in some cases from the addiction, they kept taking it. They all did write some of thier bestpoems while under the influence, yet not always. It gave some of them a better sense of creativity and ideas to help with different writings.

link to magic mushrooms...sort of

2007-10-29T12:25:00.000-04:00

here is an article I happened upon: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071029/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_mushrooms_dutch;_ylt=Aqq4HZFi0mgXkKq7xkVcgZRvaA8F

Are you Experienced?

2007-10-28T23:03:00.001-04:00

"If you can Just get your mind together,then come on across to me. we'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sun rise from the bottom of the sea."
I don't endorse drug use of any kind however, does anyone else wonder if Hendrix didn't take an acid trip what would "Spanish Castle Magic" sound like? What would "The End" sound like if Morrison didn't have that bottle of Whiskey? would the lyrics be the same if their "reducing valves" as closed as ours?

Experiences and Newness

2007-10-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

“Cocaine may or may not have assisted [Walt Whitman] in his business decisions, but its contribution to his creativity is not clear.” This rather bad written quote of the authors seems to sum up well Chapter 12. We do not know whether or not the drugs have any direct connection to increased creativity. Most of the authors and artists he quotes state that their respective drugs do not help them actually create anything new, but give them different experiences/ideas. They experience something new. It is interesting to note that they seem to see a difference between experiencing something new and creating something new.

One of the key points in Chapter 12 is that the drugs used by certain generations are representative of their cultures; if he had backed this up more perhaps I would give it more credence. I’d have to say that the drugs used by certain generations are more dependent on what is available at the times, and what is known about the drugs available. Based on the drugs and cultures the author gives descriptions of, it seems their use is based more on them being “new” to the society. People have a tendency to want to try out the “new” thing. The newness tends to wear off as the harmful effects are realized and “new” drugs are discovered/created. This is not to say that drugs have had no affect on the generations they are being taken by.

Blog 9 - DRUGS!

2007-10-28T20:21:00.001-04:00

I was really glad that we finally got to a chapter that focuses solely on drugs and effects of them individually - whether it be in normal life or creativity. It seems we've danced over a few topics through the semester, but this chapter brought to life some new ideas. For one, Sherlock Holmes did cocaine?! I never knew. I was also interested to learn about different writers, artists, creators, etc. who used drugs to enhance their abilities, and for some (like Poe), lead to their downfall. Would the world accept knowning that Walt Disney did drugs? Is it okay because there weren't laws forsaking it? I think that our culture has created problems for itself by placing such stigmas on natural drugs. I feel differently about synthesized products, and the harder drugs such as heroine and morphine than I do about marijuana or "magic mushrooms", and I wonder all the time if we would look at people, art, and life differently if it weren't shoved down our throats all the time that drugs are bad! I'm not condoning drug use, don't use drugs myself, but look at some of the work that has come out of their use! It's hard to ignore the ability a certain drug might give a person, from music to painting, and I think especially writing. So since there were no laws against narcotics in the 19th Century, we are able to enjoy these creative ventures which in many cases are unsurpassed, even today. Maybe we should loosen up a little? Strike a happy medium? Easier said than done, I realize, but I did appreciate the many topics in this chapter that brought me in to each drug, allowing the reader to see what each might do, positive and negative effects on creativity and life.

Cool picture . . .

2007-10-28T18:42:00.000-04:00

http://tonova.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/hellboy_drinking_with_skeletons.jpg

Blog 9 . . . You Wanna Make Something Of It?!

2007-10-28T12:30:00.000-04:00

I think it's just me, but I could be wrong. It could also be what Dr. Kearney said in a different class: this is the time in the semester when students tend to feel less motivated. No Fall break until Thanksgiving week and when you get back from that, you only have two weeks left in the semester. There's a ton of work in front of me and I'm finding it hard to push. Possibly I need a good stiff drink. Or an upper instead!

For me, as I've said before, I just don't get the whole drug thing. I have never tried psychotropic drugs and any experiences with other drugs was short-lived and unimpressive. I have had a pretty ordinary life. Nothing I feel any great need to escape from. Things I would have done differently? Without a doubt. For me though, the short-term escape into drugs never offered much temptation. Part of it might be control issues. I like to know things. Where I'm going, who with, etc. If the drugs are "in charge" than I am not and that would be tough to handle.

My biggest addiction would be buying books that I do not have the time to read. I have subscriptions to magazines and comics, I constantly join, quit and rejoin book clubs to get more free or cheap books, I pick up the newspapers on campus and all of these sit and wait for me to have the time. I just counted 43 books. Books only. That is an addiction, not a"bad" one I guess, but all of these books cost something. If not actually money, then time and the guilt that I have not the time or the motivation to do more. Sometimes it drives me to drink.

As for the chapter . . . it held my interest, enough to read it, it had a nice flow, cool pictures of trippy musicians and movies and it got me thinking about all the stuff I wrote above, not neccessarily anything connected with the chapter. That may well be the essence of good writing, you finish what you are reading and then carry on from there with what you just read as a springboard to other places.

2007-10-28T11:18:00.000-04:00

I have a drug addiction!! Coffee! Sheeda I completely understand your addiction to chai tea and not being able to function with out it. That's how I am without a cup of coffee. Thankfully our addictions are legal!
I truly emphaize for people with a drug addiction. I have known many people that form drug addictions and have ruined their life. Drugs are a very powerful substance and can completely take over your mind.
I'm doing a research paper in my philosophy class on marijuana. Should marijuana be legalized. I'm learning some interesting facts about the herb. Marijuana has been proven to help with many medical conditions. I keep questioning why the FDA can approve morphine for people, but not a natural herb. Using marijuana to alter your mind is a completely different subject. On the research I have done so far, marijuana is not addictive, but can cause you to have memory loss and develop ADD.
My thoughts on cocaine and heroin are that they can competely ruin one's life!!

Coke

2007-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

Sherlock Holmes was on Cocaine? Wow, I never knew that!

“Cocaine brings about an exhilaration and lasting euphoria which in no way differs from the normal euphoria of the healthy person... You perceive an increase of self control and possess more vitality and capacity for work... Long intensive mental or physical work is performed without any fatigue... The result is enjoyed without any of the unpleasant after effects that follow exhilaration brought about by alcohol” (Freud 174).

Cocaine may have been very popular during the 1980’s because so many young adults sought a way to “get rich quick” or to get ahead in life. “The drugs confidence-boosting, energizing qualities made it the drug of choice for the generation of the fashionably-selfish young people of the Thatcher-Reagan ascendancy” (174).

I can remember the term “yuppy” used to describe polo shirt wearing, 20 something, golf-playing, energized young men of the 19080’s. LOL, my Dad uses this term today... The wide spread use of certain drugs, during certain time periods, typically seems to reflect upon societies needs or interests. Music and literature from different eras have been influenced by certain drugs; Acid during the 60’s, Marijuana during the 70’s, and Cocaine during the 80’s.

I can also remember hearing somewhere that the original Coca-Cola contained Cocaine. Therefore, I did some research and found, “Until 1905, the soft drink, marketed as a tonic, contained extracts of cocaine as well as the caffeine-rich kola nut”(Bellis 1). I also found a really interesting we site which explains how the Cocaine was added to Coca-Cola for medicinal purposes. This address tells the whole story: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomitheos/508314603/

But, when it was discovered that Cocaine is addictive and causes anxiety, it was removed from the formula. But, its replacement caffeine, also is addictive...

My Addiction to Chai Tea

2007-10-24T18:08:00.000-04:00

In Chapter 12, Hughes talked about drugs, addiction to whether its coffee or cocaine and i though that he was talking about because when i am addicted to chai tea and if i don't have my chai tea in the morning, i am a nervous wreck. Since i never tried heroin, speed or cocaine, i would never how they make feel so i am addicted to what i love best. When i drink chai tea , i feel like i could type a millions papers and memos for my classes, but when i don't have it, i become a tea feen just like a person withdrawing from a drug.

Drugs and Jazz

2007-10-24T17:45:00.001-04:00

Reading and Southpark

2007-10-24T17:10:00.000-04:00

As humans we are naturally drawn to patterns. We seem to love them and look for them in everything. We even try to see them where none exist. The brain even sends signals in patterns of 40 Hz oscilation bursts. After reading this chapter I immediately thought of something on how you can get to creative tendancies. It made me think of a bottle of something my room mates had called Absinth. Now I did not part take of this drink because there was a picture of a man without an ear on it. It was van Gogh. I heard the story of how he used this as a muse for his paintings and along with his girlfriend made him cut his ear off. (Yeah this is something I want to try. Maybe I can cut my nose off.) My friends spoke of this as liquid mushrooms. I was intrigued but I will still not try this drink.

Now I also saw something on tv this past week about an altered state. It was the tv show Southpark in which the characters caught a lerperchaun. They ended up going to imagination land where everything that the human mind created lived. Fairy tale characters, dragons, cereal mascots, the care bears etc all lived there. The land was full of fly of garrett mushrooms. There was a second part of this imagination land where the nightmare creatures lived. Now the show goes on about terrorist attack to kill the imagination and everything but the show resumes with part 2 tonight at 10 and part 3 next Wednesday at 10.

Chapter 11

2007-10-24T16:05:00.000-04:00

There were a handful of ideas that I found interesting in this chapter. One of which was the assertion that "artist are attuned to resonances that chime in with their own." I know the author may not have meant for this comment to apply exclusively to aesthetics, but it is there that I found the most interesting implications. For example I have always felt drawn to artistic works that deal with non-representational or non-narrative themes, such as the paintings of Kandinsky or the short stories of Robbe-Grillet. This comment made me think that perhaps there is something within me that drives me to favor these types of work as opposed to some quality of style within the work that I was drawn to. As I contemplated this I began to look back on the chapter and found that most of the passages I had initially highlighted were related to that same aesthetic value that I was drawn to; namely the work of art as "a reference to something else, inspiring emotion for that thing, but as a thing in itself."

Chapter 11

2007-10-24T16:04:00.000-04:00

When I was reading other people's blogs, it seemed like some people disliked the chapter. It's not that I loved it or it was my favorite, but I thought it was interesting. It also was a lot better than chapter 10 so I'm sure that helped its case. Of course, like everyone else, I enjoyed the section on hypnosis the most. In the beginning of the blogs I mentioned that my stepfather was a numerologist, so I was predisposed to this kind of material from a young age. He also owns an entertainment company which contracts out hypnotise, so again I've been around these people most of my life (I was 4 when my stepfather moved in). That said, I completely believe in it. However I also think people fake it. I know I mentioned this in an earlier class, but I was always taught that if you can "lose" yourself or "zone out"(for instance while driving and seconds or minutes later you realize you don't actually remember driving but you still are on the right track) you can be hypnotised.

At the all night senior party at my high school, they always had a hypnotise. They start with like 20 random people and start to "weed out" the people to get like 5 or 6 people who can fall into the deepest hypnosis and start making them do weird things. I know I read in someones blog that they were in something like this and couldn't be hypnotised. For most people it's not that they can't be hypnotised, it's usually that they won't allow themselves to let go completely (I wouldn't even go up to try because I had no idea what they would make me do in front of all of my classmates). Anyway, I know that people also use hypnotism for diets and to quit smoking. Although I don't know if all of those people are hypnotised or if it's psychosomatic.

Complete and utter distraction

2007-10-24T15:48:00.001-04:00

It's sad that I can't get completely excited about reading Hughes anymore. Everything that I read I think, hey wait, didn't I read that earlier? The only time that I get really excited while reading is whenever he mentions an author, artist, poet, or pop icon that I like.

I understand how much everyone loves van Gogh's art... I guess because he's one of the most well-known in the world. Of course, we've all heard the stories about his life and how it reflected his art... so of course it has been "extensively investigated." I'm kinda at the point now where I think, so what if he had some mental retardation, or slept with his sister, or ate only locusts and roaches (I made these up)? His art is just beautiful. And that's all I find myself thinking about now. I want to leave the theory alone and just admire his paintings. How he takes that horse-hair brush and forms the perfet blend of linseed oil and midnight blue paint... sweeping it across a canvas, putting dots of it here and there, in between dashes of other colors. More than that, it is how the paint makes me feel when I look at it that it astonishing.

Hughes mentions John Keats and quotes him with "Negative capability... when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." Keats has a poem called "Eve of St. Agnes." If you've never read it... you should read it before you graduate... or before the end of the year... or now!

And let's not even start on William Blake. He is the everyman. This dude is political and sentimental, a painter and a poet, empowered by the Bible but ultimately a mystic. His paintings are of scenes from the Bible, or aggressive illustrations of the Bible's characters. He is the kind of person I want to look up to, try to understand better, or even become like him. Why? Because he's damn sure of who he is, which is more than I can say for myself.

I think the point of this blog was to demonstrate how off topic my mind flies when Hughes babbles about the same things, or writes in circles and loses his reader. It's hard to listen to all the brain research when a chapter that we read is titled Structures of the Mind, and it clearly explains the brain and its functions dealing with altered states.

PS - Those interested in mandalas (the history is fascinating), watch "The Last Mimzy." There is so much more to our world than what we can see with just our eyes.

Who's to Say?

2007-10-24T15:32:00.000-04:00

I find myself, again, at odds with a seemingly minuscule, and easily overlooked part of this chapter. First of all, I feel as though we've been over nearly all of this before today. The drugs have been a part of this course since the very beginning. That is why I am writing about a line that was missed even by myself the first time that I read it.

The second sentence in the second paragraph reads: “Puritanism apart, it is generally agreed that art made while on drugs is often less good than art done ‘cold.’” It goes on to explain that the experience may be worthwhile to draw upon in the creative process, but that is not what I’m concerned with. To make a statement like that, even leaving it open ended, as Hughes does, I can’t help but get rubbed the wrong way by this statement. It’s saying that the art itself is not enough to stand alone; we must know how it’s been created in order to rank it. Which is what I really don’t like about that statement, it suggests that some art is better than other art. That statement goes against the very nature of art. I’ve always thought of art as subjective, not objective. Art is good for the personal reasons of the artist and the personal reasons of those viewing it. Who’s to say one piece of art is better than another because of the state of the creator? Hughes probably didn’t realize the implications of this statement when he added it and was simply looking for a segway into his next point, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.

[Yawn] Oh, Yeah... Chapter 11

2007-10-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

With complete honesty, I did not like chapter 11. I have to agree with Brian and say that I don't like the title Ways to Creativity. These are ways to altered states of consciousness, but they seem to lump the two together in the title. I'm sure that in many cases it does, but, nevertheless, creativity does not necessarily come along with an altered state of consciousness; I think the book actually warns us not to make that assumption. Furthermore, I just didn't seem to find many of the concepts interesting.
Hynosis seemed to be the only part of this chapter that caught my eye, and, looking at the blogs, I'm not the only one who feels that way. It's a very interesting and controversial topic. Many people beleive that it, to put it blantantly, is a load of crap. Others beleive it is an acceptable accent to and alternative form of modern medicine. Personally, I'm not sure how I feel on the subject. I have never seen anyone hypnotized or been hypnotized myself, so I do not think it would be fair to pass judgement, but I am open to just about anything. After doing a little informal research, I found a branch of hypnotism, self-hypnotism, to be the most interesting. Some people claim to put themselves into a hypnotic trance. Most articles claim that the hypnotist is really just a guide and tutor in the experience; they are not absolutely necessary. Many accounts claim that self-hypnotizing is a door to creativity for them. They are more succeptable to imagination when in that altered state of consciousness.
Are meditation and other similar practices just other forms of self-hypnotism? I would have to say yes.

Thoughts on Chapter 11

2007-10-24T13:20:00.001-04:00

Though chapter 11 has not been my favorite of all of the chapters there were certain aspects which I found interesting, particularly the section on dance and movement. I believe that dance is one of the most beautiful art forms, whether it is ballet, salsa, tribal dancing, etc. I love that fact that dancing is not just merely moving your body, but it also tells stories and conveys emotions that most people find rather impossible to communicate through face to face verbal interaction. I agree with Hughes when he states "dance is the movement of access though the trance state into the other worlds." Hypnosis has always been a little fascinating to me. Of course when I think of hypnosis, shows such as Maury Povich or hypnosis shows in Las Vegas, which make people do vulgar acts, however I do know that hypnosis is much more than that. I did not know that people in hypnotic states are able to alter their skin and body temperatures and also that their pain threshold is much higher. Though Hughes states that whether hypnosis is beneficial for the creative process is unknown, I think the fact that is helps to look into deeper emotional states and help confront suppressed fears and conflicts should help to open the door to creativity.

Belated blog from 10/17

2007-10-24T13:19:00.000-04:00

After actually being caught up on the right chapter and reading it again, I find that the connection between sex or rather sexuality and creativity to be fascinating, especially in regards to the sadomasochism, particularly the part where Hughes talks about men and women using sexuality as a means of power rather than pleasure. It is difficult for me however to see the link between sadomasochism and creativity, maybe that is mostly because I do not understand it. As I stated in a the previous blog I think that muses, icons and sex goddesses serve as a great source of influence in creativity such as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy Onasis, or any other female that inspired anyone during their creative process.

Hypnotizism

2007-10-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

I found this chapter to be interesting partly because of the discussion on page 158 about hypnosis. I've tossed around the idea about wondering if someone can really hypnotize another individual. I'm not sure if I can completely grasp this vision of someone being in such an altered state without some other type of medium used such as drugs, alcohol, etc. I had an interesting discussion with a friend of mine during the week. There was a commercial on TV for a new television show called Phenomenon. We both knew about Criss Angel and just in general some of the stuff that 'magicians' so to speak have done in past years. We got on the topic of hypnosis and he was completely critical and cynical about the possibility of hypnotizing someone. He didn't believe it was possible. I'm the type of person that even though I haven't seen something or experienced something out of the ordinary, I'm not going to completely rule it out and say it isn't possible. However, this type of action boggles my mind. I'd like to see someone being hypnotized just so I can be proved wrong and that it really does happen and also can affect your mind and influence situations!

Hypnosis

2007-10-24T11:37:00.000-04:00

This chapter definitely caught my attention and interest. A trance-like state that resembles sleep but which is induced by a hypnotist whose suggestions are readily accepted by their subject. Some supposed hypnotic indicators and subjective changes in mental state can be achieved without relaxation or a lengthy induction by means of simple suggestion or waking hypnosis, a fact that increases the controversy and the misunderstandings which exist around hypnosis and the hypnotic state.

I'm going to be honest. I, for some reason, cannot be hypnotized. One time, in high school, we had a hypnotist come into the auditorium, and a bunch of us went down to be hypnotized. For me, with the crowd laughing and making loud shouting noises. I couldn't hear the guy's instructions, and had to leave the floor. I have yet to be hypnotized, but I am open to try again some day.

Blog # 8 from Erik

2007-10-24T11:12:00.000-04:00

Blog #8 The section of this chapter called good vibrations struck - a chord – with me. The notion that everything has a vibration and similar sound at its core, parallels the zero point theory we discussed last week. The zero point theory suggests that everything we know is made of light, well, does light have a vibration to it as this section describes? The resonance of the big bang throughout the universe is very logical in my opinion, but does the zero point theory debunk the notion of sound altogether? If so, then what this section describes as “primal sound” is actually light, not sound! Hmm…. We have not discussed the string theory, but the basis of that is at the heart of what this section mentions. Everything is made up of vibrating strands of “something” and the vibrations of those strands, both individually and as a group, make up everything from air to dirt; even the vacuum we call space is not really a vacuum but rather filled with these vibrating strands.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nThe fascinating part, and truly simplistic base of the zero point theory from what I can understand of it so far, is that if it is fact, everything is instantly explained and there no longer is much mystery behind anything. Perhaps the entire unexplained phenomenon contained within and surrounding certain facets of our society are glimpses of the human mind, reality, and existence slipping past our reduction valves for periods. I believe we are all blinded by a learned rigidity of thought governed and solicited by societies at large. I also think that we begin being annexed into this process from the moment of birth and is completely inescapable – unless at some point the person slips through a door of perception and avidly seeks to block our defaulted reality in order to connect with what fills the space around what we know.\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/tr\>\n\u003ctd colspan\u003d\"2\" width\u003d\"575\"\>\u003chr noshade size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/table\>\n\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0]
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The fascinating part, and truly simplistic base of the zero point theory from what I can understand of it so far, is that if it is fact, everything is instantly explained and there no longer is much mystery behind anything. Perhaps the entire unexplained phenomenon contained within and surrounding certain facets of our society are glimpses of the human mind, reality, and existence slipping past our reduction valves for periods. I believe we are all blinded by a learned rigidity of thought governed and solicited by societies at large. I also think that we begin being annexed into this process from the moment of birth and is completely inescapable – unless at some point the person slips through a door of perception and avidly seeks to block our defaulted reality in order to connect with what fills the space around what we know.

Music, Dance and Movement

2007-10-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

Music and dance can be a release of energy and can also be pleasurable. When I was reading about the section on dance and movement, I was reminded of the traditional wedding; with it’s music, walks and dances.

When first attending the wedding, the music is solemn and serious. It has a wonderful melody to it, mostly religious. When the bride is about to enter the church, the music suddenly picks up and becomes louder. The beat gets faster, as she makes her way down the aisle. Then there is a song, or two, during the ceremony, adding to the heightened emotions of the captured audience of wedding well-wishers. Finally, the recessional is played and the bride and groom rush out of the church together. All the energy stored up in everyone during the ceremony is starting to be released.

It is now time for the reception. Music and dance release more energy for everyone. At the reception, the song and dance can be seen as an art, ritual and also recreation. The art will be when some couple steps up to the dance floor and does a waltz. Perhaps it will be the bride and groom that dance this waltz. The ritual is always the traditional father and bride dance. Then of course we cannot forget the recreation and fun of dances like the Mexican Hat Dance, Chicken Dance and the Electric Slide. Of course, there could be a little bit of unhappiness experienced, because some loved ones are no longer here to experience the joyous occasion. Many types of Altered States will be experienced before the joyous occasion ends.

Mind and Music

2007-10-23T18:06:00.000-04:00

Chapter 12 was an interesting Chapter, especially when it talked about brain and vibrations. It mentioned Rodolfo Llinas who compared it to a "well-tuned musical instrument", and the complexity of chords. The fact that we are different from other animals because of the way our brain is set up allowing us to have capacity and and ability to imagine and be creatives. We are able to think and find reasons, uncertainties, and more.
Sometimes we need a little help and through relaxation by meditation or rhythem such as music and dance with certain beats a person can reach an altered state. The brain is even compared to a harp with different types of strings that produce different tones or responses. Music has been around for ages and is part of many cultures and religions. It is an easy topic to compare to the brain because of all the varieties and results of it. Our brain has the ability to think and realize things in different ways and allows us to act on it. Just like music we can be happy or sad, boring or romantic. Music as well as other art can represent the artist's mood towards something. It can also take the listener out of one mood and put them in another depending on the beat and tones of the rhythem.

MIndfulness and Hypnosis

2007-10-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

I thought the part of this chapter about meditation was particularly interesting. What I always considered 'meditation' probably hasn't come close to as it is described in this chapter. Imagine being completely relaxed and still, but yet senses you rarely practice are pushed to the front of your consciousness and self awareness becomes incredibly acute. Similar to a state of hypnosis? Quite an altered state, and I suppose many people who have suffered from an illness or injury have experienced something similar to this feeling.

I had a hard time buying the 'animal magnetism' concept--hypnotism is quite real, but I don't know if we should give credit to Mesmer for simply stumbling upon it. Since he did not perfect it (can it be perfected at all?) then the pioneer label is somewhat generous in my opinion. Hughes states the altered state of consciousness known as hypnosis doesn't necessarily facilitate a greater sense of creativity (p. 159), however it may be a gateway to the part of the brain (however indirectly) that could lead to the creative "right."

Relaxation

2007-10-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

Chapter 11, had some interesting things to read about. What I thought was most interesting was reading about hypnosis. I have friends that use to go to hypnosis shows and come back and tell me the off the wall things that would happen. They say that you can be hypnotized to quite smoking! The book says that hypnosis is, “an altered state of consciousness.” (158) One fact about hypnosis is that it reveals a range of powers within the individual, inaccessible to personal consciousness. Interesting stuff!

On days that I feel really stressed out it would be great to know how to meditate. The book quickly mentions about meditation and that it produces an altered state of consciousness that combines alertness and relaxation. It describes the way meditation relaxes the brain. It is a way of relaxing the left – brain grip on consciousness and allowing the right free expression. It also is a way of dissolving personal consciousness into superconscious reality. I think everyone in the world would be a lot happier if we all learned to meditate.

Ways to Creativity?

2007-10-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or does it seem like the anchor has been pulled up. Some how the past two chapters (10,11) have felt like I have been set adrift on a wide but shallow ocean. I feel like we are no longer feasting on the subject. The discussion so far has been excellent, but now I feel like we are at edge, trying our best to remain interested in the ways to creativity.

Maybe it is just me, maybe it's because I don't like the statement "Ways to creativity" I don't believe that there is a way to creativity. That makes me feel like there is some guy sitting with legs folded, pointing to the horizon. To me it implies that you can make a wrong turn somewhere and some how not be creative. The truth is, creativity is the spark that drives us all,it is the core, it is simply achieved by existence.
The existence of a Bengal tiger is what makes the stripes so beautiful. Am I making any sense? or should I go read the chapters again?

2007-10-22T17:06:00.000-04:00

I happened upon this article in my daily news browsing: http://science.howstuffworks.com/parallel-universe.htm

It deals with parallel universes.

Spinning and spinning and spinning and.....

2007-10-21T22:56:00.001-04:00

While on a study abroad trip in Egypt this summer, I had the pleasure of viewing a dance performance. The gentleman dancing would spin around and around, faster and faster, causing his outfit to becoming disclike. Though I do not fully understand the significance of the dance, you could “feel” energy resonating from him. You could see that he had gone into a trance, his spinning had spiraled him into another state of conscious. (An interesting side note, finishing spinning in circles for about 15 minutes the dancer showed no signs of dizziness or fatigue, and merely bowed and walked strait off the stage.)

Don’t we all from time to time get lost in music, dance, sound, language, and art? I often will be driving some where and a song will be playing that takes me to another world. I’ll still get where I’m going, but my dominant persona is no longer driving, a different part of my conscious is.

On a side note, did anyone else think of Tart’s Diagram of Perception when they saw the pictures of Mandalas and Yantras? (Not that they represent similar things, just the look and connectedness (and that is a real word haha))

Blog 8 or Umm, oops I mean Omm

2007-10-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Francis Bacon gives me nightmares, on occasion so does Oscar Mayer but that is a different blog.

The primal sound, the vibration of the Big Bang, interesting stuff. Everything is connected. We are all part of the earth and the earth is part of us and creation comes from life force and if you do not create you do not live. Create anything, something. The mere act of doing a crossword puzzle is creating. You are forcing the brain to dig up the things in its memory banks. Delving into the subconscious to access that latent knowledge. My parents will ask me questions from their puzzles and somewhere that knowledge is in my brain and then gets pushed to the front.

Hypnosis can bring those latencies to the forefront again. Suppressed emotions, memories (are they all real?) are brought up through the strata to the daylight again. Through meditation some have been able to achieve this effect also. Music can also bring about or help to bring about the retrieval of memory and the movement into altered states. The power of a person's voice and music underlying the background can create the mood in which many people in the same room can experience the therapeutic recovery of memory. Drum circles, raves, religious services--music and people in like minds sharing like experiences can raise the level of consciousness of the group as a whole. If you allow yourself the freedom to be open to the experience.

Wassily Kandinsky was transported and transformed by music. He wove music and art together to create beautiful abstract painting. Not all of his work is abstract but the pieces entitled Compositions I-X are recognized as some of the best abstract art to come from the Bauhaus period. I agree. (See overview for more.)
http://www.glyphs.com/art/kandinsky/comp4640.jpg

Hypnotized

2007-10-19T12:31:00.001-04:00

In response to Chapter 11, I found the section titled "Waking Sleep" to be very interesting. "Hypnosis is described as a state of consciousness, dissimilar to either wakefulness or sleep, in which attention is withdrawn from the outside world and is concentrated on mental, sensory, and physiological experiences"(158).
Through hypnotism, a person can relive pain and allergies, control or relieve amnesia and deal with various other ailments. "Hypnosis can also produce a deeper contact with one's emotional life, resulting in some lifting of repressions and exposure of buried fears and conflicts"(158).
An individual can be greatly helped and healed through the use of hypnotism. But, as far as I understand, not everyone is able to be hypnotized. And what allows someone to be hypnotized? What is the difference between someone who can and someone who cannot?
I suggest, since hypnotism is considered an altered state, the "restricting valve" is tightened on those who cannot be hypnotized. Which relates to the opened valve of the creative personality, the shaman, and even the "classified" mentally ill. But there must be more than the "restricting valve" or limited degrees of restriction in determining one's ability to access the an altered state of consciousness. Because not everyone who is creative can be hypnotized. And, not everyone who is mentally ill is creative. Therefore, I would really like to learn more about the hypnotizing personality in relation to the altered states.

Androgyny

2007-10-17T19:52:00.000-04:00

After reading the correct chapter this chapter makes me think of the likes of David Bowie, Ted Nugent, or Joe Namath. These guys though being extremely heterosexual men but they cross dressed on occasions. Ted Nugent though being a "man's man"into hunting and everything wore make up and even dresses and he is celebrated as one of America's greatest rock musicians. The same would be with David Bowie, even though he is the British version of Nugent. You can push that into the hair metal movement of the 1980's they wore make up and tried to sound like women. They even do that with some bands today like "The Darkness". WHich then makes it ok for more heterosexual men to act more feminine with more guys turning "metro". Metro just means men that look feminine and take really good care of themselves.

Emotions of Dance - Blog 7

2007-10-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

I read chapter 11 and I thought to myself , Did Hughes attend the same dance event that I went to a few weeks ago? I attended an event in Philadelphia called, Udune' Day. Udune' is an event that celebrates African cultures such Liberian, Nigeria and many more. There was African dancers who performed a dance that symbolized birth and death, but the way their facial expressions and bodies movements were so amazing because you can see the joy and pain of the love and struggles of growing up in those countries just by looking them. The way the dancers performed made the audience feel their pain and joy especially with the thumping of the drums. I am a dancer and I agree with Hughes when he wrote " dancing tells a story" because it does. I believe that no matter good or bad of a dancer of a person is they have to something to say even if they're not opening their mouths.

untitled

2007-10-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

When comparing sexual and creativity, the book says the new entity is further transformed at birth. Is birth beig paralleled to the outlet in which we express creativity? and if it is, doesn't that bring up the question of does creativity have to be expressed to be creativity? Or does it do the opposite by saying that because birth isn't the result of all sexual encounters there isn't a product everytime there is a creative thought?

I found it strange that women weren't thought of as creative (or they weren't really known for arts) because stereotypically, women are more emotional. Doesn't some if not most/all art have some sort of emotion that inspires or drives it? I know that is seriously stereotyping, but stereotypes had to be based on truth (or perceived truth) once otherwise the stereotype wouldn't work.

Also, I am a little uncertain about the explanation given by Nancy Chodorow about where male violence arises from. Shes says that it is because girls automatically identify with their mothers, but boys have to identify himself with his mother, then seperate himself from her in an attempt to find his own identity. First don't boys have fathers? I know not everyone has a present father (as a matter of fact I didn't), but come on, if girls automatically identify with their mother, wouldn't that logic go to say that boys identify themselves with their fathers. My youngest brother is eleven and I know that from a very early age he identified with my oldest brother (who is 14 years older than him) and my stepfather (his biologic father). Also, even without a male figure in the picture, why does forming your own identity cause male violence? I just don't understand it.

Girls Creative Roots?

2007-10-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

Hughes claims that we (as a society) "like our female icons best when they are in distress" (p. 145). This is curious in that there is so much truth to it. Brittany Spears popularity is soaring now that she has been photographed overweight, flopped at the MTV award show, and had her kids taken away. I'm certainly not comparing Spears to the likes of Princess Di or Marilyn Monroe, but Hughes is on to something here. When compared with other contemporary pop stars, the press/ media does not seem to place so much emphasis on their failures, weaknesses, or periods of distress. Is the media still, in 2007, so male biased? Or does the stigma of sexuality carry more weight when we consider the downfalls of our female pop culture icons? Maybe man is contemptuous towards woman according to their perceived sexual persuasion over the years of humankind? Surely being in a state of distress and pressure from fighting for equal rights would foster a common bed of creativity among women (and other minority groups equally).

The Goal. Sexually, I mean.

2007-10-17T15:12:00.000-04:00

I LOVED the quote from Susan Sontag about Sadomasochism. She is talking about sex being purely sexual and has nothing to do with relationships or love. Although I don't disagree with it, I don't completely agree with it either. The last sentence was my favorite. [talking about masters/slaves] "The color is black, the material is leather, the seduction is beauty, the justification is honesty, the aim is ecstasy, the fantasy is death."

Every single piece of this quote is incredibly accurate for the time period that we live in. How shallow of a world we've created, even though I understand that as times change, people change to make up for our inadequacies. I suppose since mainstream 70s hallucinogens and narcotics have been outlawed, people have found other forms of escapism. Sure, some of them are innocent, like watching movies, reading books, having a completely absorbing and intellectual conversation with a friend. Others... not so much.

Sex has become a sport to our culture. It's about domination and power, defeat and striking victory. There are places where women run BUSINESSES that men can go to, give a description of any sexual fantasy, and the women that work there will "provide" for him. Incredible. The color is black. The material is leather.

Those models that we see (way too flawless to be healthy or sane) all have a sex appeal that men and women alike crave for. When these women go missing, get raped, get murdered, it just reminds us that we're on the search for ownership of beauty. The seduction is beauty.

Then we want to be up-front about our purposes. We want to be honest and that makes us feel guilt-free, because airing our dirty laundry is acceptable in most places. The justification is honesty.

Pleasure is the driving force for establishments that sell sex, or people taking their clothes off, or videos or toys or what have you. All we want is to feel good. The aim is ecstasy.

Don't they say that an orgasm and sneezing are the moments in life when you're closest to death? Really... an orgasm? I wonder if that has ever made people think twice before doing it (probably not, because that's not how we are). Shows like CSI: illustrate this perfectly. Don't get me wrong... I love the show... I've seen every episode... a large majority of them more than once. But the show isn't completely fictional. There are people who get killed because of sexual appeal or someone else's sexual appetite. We hear it on the news, and we're astounded. But news flash: to be human is to be hungry, barbaric, flawed, and guiltless. The fantasy, after all, is death.

So If You Don't Rate, Just Overcompensate

2007-10-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

To quote a quote, Karen Horney (Hughes, 137), a German-American psychiatrist, suggests that "the tremendous strength in men of the impulse to creative work [is] due to their feeling of playing a relatively small part in the creation of living beings, which constantly impels them to an overcompensation in achievement."
In her quote, she focuses mainly on creative work. Men are left feeling bland in the limelight of the woman creating life. They try to creative magnificent works of art to compensate for the fact that they cannot create life.
Wow...That's like a smack in the face, isn't it? Basically, she beleives that men are driven by a feeling of inadequacy; they play such a minute part of the process of reproduction that they feel compelled to compensate for that in other ways. That is a very interesting idea. Throughout history, woman has been praised for her ability to produce human life. Man, although necessary for the process, has been basically left out. In many early cultures, women and the "female power" were worshipped. In these early martiarchal societies, the energy of life is feminine. If these ancient worlds worshipped the feminine, how is it that we live in a patriarchal society today? The idea that Horney presents offers an interesting explanation. Men have felt so left out, sidelined by the power of the female, that they overcompensated (Maybe that's just me taking the idea to an extreme level, but it's interesting nonetheless).

The complexity of sexuality summed up in 10 pages.

2007-10-17T14:21:00.000-04:00

This chapter jumped around more than my Labrador retriever when I arrive at home. It did, however bring up some great points.
First, it acknowledges the sheer complexity of this topic. Our sexuality really comes into play in every faucet of our life. This becomes readily apparent when different cultures are compared and interact.
A good example of a clash of “cultural sexuality,” takes place between the West and the Taliban.
Their belief in certain Islamic philosophies prohibits women from attending school. It also mandates women wear burqas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burqa) and restrict them to housework within the walls of a compound.
Since the fall of the Taliban following the September 11 bombing, much of the group has retreated into Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. In the past year coalition forces in Afghanistan has seen a resurgence from the Taliban. Of the attacks the Taliban have launched a majority have been aimed at school that teach women.
So how did I start at sexuality and end at the Taliban? Well it is simple. Cultural views on sexuality are in essence some of the fuel that is feeding the fire of our conflict in the Middle East.
So if sexuality has an influence in Geo-political conflict, I think it is easy to infer it trickles down into everything.

Rantings from Erik

2007-10-17T14:09:00.001-04:00

I found this chapter to be equally compelling as the rest. There is no doubt in my mind that sexual desire, sexual tensions and relationships, are the muse of virtually all creations made by humans. Whether you gather your creative energy from being passionately involved in sexual behavior or feed off of strict abstinence, it all centers on sex. I think that we are sexually driven creatures at the very core of ourselves. Without that innate presence we would not have the created the world we see today. Buildings, bridges, monuments, cities, books, paintings, machines, gadgets and doohickeys, they were all created in one way or another that revolves directly around a sexual energy. I am not totally convinced that evolution has given a creative edge so to speak, to men. I understand the reasons the book gives to support that fact, but I just don’t quite by it. Creativity serves a purpose for a hunter and gatherer, which was the main role of the human male for millions of years, but on the same token, didn’t the women need to be innovative back at the cave, hut, or whatever dwelling they occupied? I’m sure that there were many obstacles and problems that presented themselves and needed resolved by the women of the group, especially if the males were off gathering food. So, where is the drastic difference of evolutionary need to support why males have a more creative ability over females? Without a doubt, I think females brains are wired differently (not being sarcastic) and maybe it is this wiring that creates a path which leans towards a different kind of creativity than males?

Sex and Creativity

2007-10-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

I found this chapter very intriguing. I know that men and women are different in a lot of ways, but that's what makes their artistic vision different from each other; nevertheless they are both able to create works of art. In the last few decades, historians have endeavored to rediscover the artistic accomplishments of women and to incorporate them into the narrative of art history that has neglected them. While this is true of males, and that it is presumed that there were fewer females who were artists, this amount of information is even more problematic. Women artists were often most active in artistic expressions that were not typically signed. This includes many forms of textile production, including weaving, embroidery, and lace-making as well as manuscript illumination. During the Early Medieval period, manuscript illumination was a pursuit of monks and nuns alike. While occasional artists of this period are named, the vast majority of these illuminators remain unknown. This leaves researchers with whole groups of artists for whom no information is available. Another problem is the convention whereby women take their husbands' last names. This obviously impedes research, especially for example, in some cases where a work of unknown origin may be signed only with a first initial and last name. Furthermore, most reference works on artists, even those online, allow searches by last name only, but not by first name only. Clarity of identity is central to the western notion of the artistic genius who creates masterpieces which may be clearly situated and studied in relation to the contributions of other artists.

ZPF

2007-10-17T10:47:00.001-04:00

There is a great deal of patience required to wrap your head around the topics of this article, and even then it is still a bit over my head. To understand or follow a subject such as Zero Point Field takes an open mind and a completely different way of thinking about how we view everything we've ever known, and trying to look at the universe from a totally new perspective, which is difficult. It's like saying "Ok, take everything you've ever learned in your entire life, and throw it out the window, because it's wrong." In Haisch's article, he explains that every bit of light is a product of the negative space of the Zero Point Field, since it is a vacuum of all that we know to be matter. --

"The fact that the zero-point field is the lowest energy state makes it unobservable. We see things by way of contrast. The eye works by letting light fall on the otherwise dark retina. But if the eye were filled with light, there would be no darkness to afford a contrast. The zero-point field is such a blinding light. Since it is everywhere, inside and outside of us, permeating every atom in our bodies, we are effectively blind to it. It blinds us to its presence. The world of light that we do see is all the rest of the light that is over and above the zero-point field."

I think this topic really pushes the boundaries of our class' focus, but at the same time presents us with yet another way to view our world from a different lens: the computer I type this on is in motion. Every bit of matter is in constant motion down to the smallest bit of molecular structure, and all of the matter in our known universe is tied together, but its only the residual effects which we see due to the ZPF theory. Naturally this ties in to our class focus of altered states because everything we know can instantly be flipped upside down, and opportunities to view any knowledge of ourselves and our universe is now up for question. I wonder when (if Haisch is still working towards proving) the ZPF could be explained in more practical terms, such as real world examples not drawn from the cosmos. Perhaps that would give us non-astrophysicists a better chance to wrap our heads around this overwhelming subject! :)

The different worlds of men and women

2007-10-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Feminine vs. masculine – The book stated that since mother and daughter are both the same gender, there is no need for separation to occur for the female child to find her identity due to same sex. This is different for a male child. A male child must first identify himself with his mother, than separate himself from her to find his identity. (140)

I found it not only interesting, but somewhat odd to read about sadomasochism. I have never heard of sadomasochism before. After reading about it I realized I have seen this type of sexual behavior in movie scenes/tv. It’s hard for me to imagine how pain can bring sexual pleasures, but I guess for some people this brings them to an altered state of mind. This is kind of weird for me to imagine.

What caught my attention the most was the differences between the brain in male and female. According to observations made by neurologists women have “less specialization” between their hemispheres than do men. (139) Damages to one side will affect a woman’s brain functions, less then it will of a male. I have always wondered why men and women are so different and this sums the question up for me. Their brains are completely different!! This gives me a great idea on what to do my first overview on. How interesting!

Blog 7 - Gender and creativity

2007-10-16T20:44:00.000-04:00

I wrote a blog on this chapter last week (whoops), but even though it's rather short I got quite a bit out of it. It's interesting to compare gender with creativity. Don't we usually assume that women are more creative than men? Maybe because of specific roles we've been placed in - we're supposed to cook, help kids with homework, art projects, etc. We're always coming up with something to make for dinner, experimenting with new things, helping the kids build their first baking soda volcano. However, when we consider different art forms - for instance, writing - for so long women were stuck in the background, maybe even using pen names just to get their work out there, and being read like "genius" men. When I was re-reading this chapter these are the things I was thinking about - did Frida Kahlo paint mostly about her relationship with her husband because that is what plagued her most, or because she was a woman and a woman wasn't able to do much more than belong to a man? Was it natural gender socialization? As men and women we are trained from birth to do certain things, think certain ways, accept certain ideals. I think this is the beauty of creativity, in a way it's "gender-less", you may never know if a man or woman painted something, wrote something, sculpted something, if no one ever told you. Creativity is just allowed to be, to be beautiful and interesting, and to be whatever the creator makes of it.

Gender and Creativity

2007-10-16T18:12:00.001-04:00

It is obvious, women view things differently than men. Throughout history women have been viewed by men as sex objects and their possesions. However views of gender roles have changed with the efforts of important female figures over time. We have proven through different creative views that we can achieve some jobs as well or sometimes better then men. One of the main things that causes us to have different views is that us women are made to go through nine months of pregnancy and then go through the delivery. Men may be tough and have strength in some things, but not the strength and compasion that women have from that.
Women have always been expected to stay at home, cook, clean, and raise the children, while the men worked to provide for the family. Then when they came home it was up to the women to keep working around the house while the men sat around. The only thing with that is that even today when many women have jobs in a work force, they still are expected to do most of the work around the house when they come home without much of a break in between. However, there are men now that take on the job as the housecleaner, cook, and are stay at home dads.
There are differences in our brains that have an impact also on how we view things. Women have fought for rights and have changed the way of how things were limited to us to give us more freedom such as with voting and being able to express our views more.

Sex & Creativity

2007-10-16T17:27:00.000-04:00

I thought that this chapter was very interesting in how it explained the similarities between sex and creativity, and then went into noting that male and female individuals are very different. However, I'm not sure I quite understood where he was trying go with the sex and creativity analogy. It's obvious that men and women are quite different; women are more intuitive, right brain users, while men are quite the opposite, using logic and analytical thinking. However, I feel that they are both equally able to create compelling, wondrous creative works of art. I think it is the atmosphere, lifestyle, and personal situations that affect one's creativity, not so much one's gender. I do think that as human beings we have certain desires and passions that somehow are connected with sex. And sometimes those desires and passions can help give life to our creativity.

Zero Point Article

2007-10-16T14:06:00.000-04:00

I've already sent out a message about this via e-mail, but in case you don't check it, or don't forward ANGEL e-mail, I wanted to let you know that I've posted a short article (3 pages) about the Zero Point Field on ANGEL. If you get a chance before class on Wenesday (10/17), please look it over. I'm interested to see what connections you find between this concept and what we've discussed so far in class. It gives a whole new angle on perception and reality.

Jackie O

2007-10-16T12:38:00.000-04:00

I remember when John F. Kennedy died. I was just a little girl staying home from school ill, lying on the living room sofa watching television. All of a sudden a news bulletin came on the TV, “We interrupt this program for a special announcement. President Kennedy has just been shot.” It was a terrible ordeal, but through all the pain and suffering Jackie Kennedy held her head high. My, how she suffered; it was written all over her face. Even as a little girl, I could see the pain there. Yet she had this beauty and pose about her, even in her suffering. When she remarried and became Jackie Kennedy Onassis, she still had this beauty and pose about her.

The media added to her identity making her into an icon. She became an icon for classic beauty, if she wasn’t one already. She wore plain shifts as dresses. They became the vogue. They were a plain style, but also elegant. Everyone wanted the Jackie O shifts. They were quite the fashion fad at the time, but I was still a little girl. Then in 1994, the Jackie O shift had a comeback. It was really the style and I finally bought one. When I put it on, I felt wonderful and a feeling of class came over me too, but as far as icons go – Jackie O was a classic!

2007-10-15T17:22:00.001-04:00

I like the way this chapter blurred the lines dividing vice and virtue. A great example of how fragile perception can be. Isn't it interesting how humans can create such conflict while trying to achieve meaning in this gelatinous soup called life.
If I had to make a brash statement about sex and creativity it would be that the frustration created by the conflict of sex fuels creativity. Now, the chapter offered numerous partnerships to support my statement but just in case how about: Rinbaud and Verlane, Clapton and Harrison, Dolce and Gabbana.

The sex goddess, the muse, the icon all virtuous in one way and vicious in another. I'm sure Samson's perception of Delilah was based on virtue. I'm sure Delilah's perception of power was the pleasure that she used to control Samson.
We are beings governed by basic passions and desires. But, it is the duality in us that complicate the events in our lives. The chapter mentions Picasso's relationship with women and how his work changed when ever the women in his life did. What state was Picasso in during his blue period? who was his muse? Was his reducing valve wide open when he painted Bullfight:Death of the woman Toreador?

I particularly like the concept of the muse, I'm convinced that the female form was the inspiration behind the first cave drawings.

Me Man, Me Make Fire!

2007-10-15T16:48:00.000-04:00

Women have the same creative aptitude as men. It is experiences that dictate how reaching and vast creative work is. The Brontë sisters wrote about society as they knew it. Emily Dickinson’s poetry revolved around the little world she lived in; what she could see outside her window. Maybe Dickinson would have written Moby Dick as well if she had lived on the sea for as long as Melville did. More and more great female artists, writers, and creatives are emerging as more and more are capable of having the same experiences and education as their male counterparts.

Are men and women equal? It depends on where you look at it from. Physically, as Matt noted, no (though there are plenty of girls out there that can kick my ass). But, that has to do with adaptation. Men were almost always the protectors, hunters, and work horses. Women dealt with the children and home. Mentally, well, who really knows? History, culture, society, our experiences, and everything else have had some affect on how we view the sexes and our roles and as I said above our creativity level. Besides, there is no real definite answer on whether males and females have a physically different brain; but, based on our cultural roles, we do think differently.

Now, I’m an atheist myself (though I do follow my own “religion” or “way of life” as I like to call it), so the idea that some divine force made us different is not really my cup of tea. However, I would say nature and the universe (perhaps the closest thing to God/gods I have) is pretty good at making it so a species has the tools needed for survival. In quite a few species of insects, the female kills the male after he mates with her (ouch). He fulfilled his natural role and is no longer needed. Humans, on the other hand, need each other. Historically, the female needed the male to protect her while pregnant, to hunt, and be the hard 9 to 5 working men we are (Me man, me make fire!). It is the natural instinct of survival. So, for me anyway we are equal or should be if it wasn’t for Chauvinist culture. And, I’m not really sure if what I typed made any sense, because I sort of went off on a big rant. J Oh well…

Walt Whitman’s homosexuality may have allowed him to understand how amazing the human form was. When he viewed a slave auction he was disgusted at how the, what he called, “beautiful” bodies of African Americans were being abused. A great deal of his poetry is about the human form as well as spirit.

Blog 7 or Sex . . . uh, lost my train of thought

2007-10-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

Men and women are different. I hate to break it to you kids but it's the truth. I assume we all know the physical differences and if you don't, well, out the door of our classroom, turn left and down the hall on the left hand side is the Health Dept. Anyway, we think, react, engage, analyze, listen, watch, play, love, etc., etc. differently. As for the equal thing, nonsense. Not even in God's eyes, if so we would both be able to have babies. But God (or insert personal deity here) knew the attention span of the male of the species and there was no way we could deal with nine months of anything. Football season, Sept-Feb=6 mos., baseball season, Apr-Oct=7 mos. Seven months tops. Women have the patience of Job. They put up with us and have the kids. Some would say that's why God is male. But I wouldn't, that would be rude.

As for the sex part. It can be such a primal and primitive force/feeling that there is no wonder it is associated with lust and love. It can be difficult sometimes to separate the notion of love and lust and that difficulty can lead to myriads of problems. Quite often it involves giving the wrong head the lead in decision making and then refusing to deal with the consequences or admitting to oneself that they got the four letter words mixed up. Lust seems to have a beginning and end, love appears to be more like the ocean. Really big, moves in waves, all kinds of scary things in it, can't see the other side, walk in and its soft, fall in and it hurts like hell.

Muses. Muses can be a pain. Like cats. To quote Rush Limbaugh (who may be quoting someone else), "Dogs have masters, cats have staff." Muses have staff. 'Nuff said.

Interesting...

2007-10-12T14:51:00.000-04:00

Once again, what a cool Chapter! I really enjoyed reading about the similarities and differences between Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana. Marilyn Monroe as "the consummate sex doll" (144). And Princess Diana as "a creature of pop modernity abd solemn tradition, uniquely stylish abd yet Ms. Everywoman, and in the last year or two, a woman both utterly broken and surpemely powerful... Death was the logical, operatic end to Diana's story"(145).

I think that society really felt for the hardships in which these women experienced because they were understandable. Many people could relate to their troubles. "It seems we like out female icons best when they are in distress" (145).

As we discussed in class, I totally agree with the idea that artists are driven to depression or other mental illness because they are openeded to a different state of consciousness or have an imagination so strong that it overwhelms them. For Marilyn Monroe, she died from an overdose of sleeping pills and it is suggested that she had been seriously depressed. The pressure of performing and constantly needing to do better or produce more, can overwhelm anyone, especially someone who is trying to grip or control a strong imagination.

I think being in the spotlight constantly and the scrutinization of everything you do takes away pieces of your personality. We discussed in class how we tend to act differently in different situation, maybe more controlled at work and calm and relaxed at home. I cannot imagine not being able to relax, anywhere. I think this pressure really forces a lot of famous people into depression.

Also interesting, was the section on the identification process. The male needs to form a relationship with his mother, then separate in order to find his own identity. The female on the other hand, needs to form a relationship with her mother, but does not need to separate herself because they are of the same sex. It is interesting to see how this identification process plays a role in developing the "sexual appetite" so to speak.

post 6 sex and creativity

2007-10-10T18:16:00.000-04:00

Reading about sex and creativity was rather interesting, especially with the array of topics covered - sadomasichism, aggression, sex goddesses, and more! I thought it really touched on quite a few areas and it was a bit difficult to get into just one thing, but I took special interest in the section about sex goddesses, including Marilyn Monroe, and the comparison to Princess Diana. I was always fascinated by their stories and the similarities between them, which I think was brought into the media's attention through Elton John's song, Candle in the Wind. They seem to have been in the same boat in certain ways, such as their "deeply suffering ways" as Hughes points out, and I totally agreed with the statement that we "like our female icons best when they are in distress". I think this connects to the beginning of the chapter because Hughes was discussing women's roles in art and sex, and these women were such objects of obsession that their lives spiraled out of their personal control because of it. I associated this with the fact that women have always in a way been held back in an artist's world, expected to paint, sculpt, or sing certain things, and this may be because of our gender differences that are engrained from birth. The way we socialize children is nearly impossible to get away from - from the moment the child is born if they are a girl, the blanket is pink, blue for boys, of course. We give girls dolls, don't want boys to play with them, and give boys trucks, and expect them to get dirty, be aggressive, etc. I wonder if this limits our creativity, or at least limits what our children are able to do or express. I can't see a way to get away from it, considering it starts with birth and goes to death, and if you deviate you're seen in a different light. For those not concerned with what people think, creativity may flow much easier than for those who are pushed into gender roles and the like. This also connects to the section on homosexuality and androgyny. It would be nice to assume that people could create art and music and express themselves however they choose, no matter the gender or sexual orientation or whatever. Since this is usually not the case, I think Hughes really expressed his points clearly and showed many pieces of the puzzle doing so.

Blog 6

2007-10-10T17:19:00.000-04:00

I found this chapter very interesting especially the parts about manic depression and alcoholism. Both of these illnesses are in my family so I can kind of relate to these topics. I actually never related creativity to either of these illnesses but from what I read in this chapter, it definitely makes sense to me. If someone that has manic depression doesn't take their medicine they would definitely experience a form of altered state of consciousness which would lend to a heightened sense of creativity. I can also see the same effect with alcoholics. It's almost like the person has no inhibitions and would probably not be afraid to try things out. I know for myself when I drink I am more of an outgoing person, where as normally I would be afraid to socialize with someone I don't know. If I am drinking I forget about my worries and just have fun. In this sense I would probably do something I might not normally do, which could make me find out more about myself and where some of my creativity may lie. Of course all these activities would obviously have to be legal! I really learned a lot in this chapter.

Creativity and Disease

2007-10-10T16:35:00.000-04:00

There were several aspects of this chapter that I found to be revealing or in the least thought provoking. The first of which was the association made between writers and alcoholism. I have always felt that making the connection between artists and drug abuse/use can lead inadvertently to a cycle of misguided adoration. People begin to associate artists and their works almost exclusively with drugs, alcohol, and depression while at the same time forgoing any actual analysis or appreciation of the works themselves. I have also met a lot of people that, either consciously or sub-consciously, begin to mimic those 'darkly romantic' aspects of artist lives.

Another aspect of this section which I found interesting was Hughes focus on disease and mental illness as a purely psycho-medical phenomena. By focusing almost exclusively on depression as a psychological illness I felt he neglected those artist that come to their depressive states by other means. The varied experiences of human life are more than enough to bring about horrible depressive states without needing to be caused by some faulty genetic neurosis.

Creativity and it's Subjectiveness

2007-10-10T15:55:00.000-04:00

I’m finding myself in an odd place after reading this chapter… I honestly came into this chapter with the belief that illness was very much an integral part of the creative process. In some morbid sense of anticipation I was awaiting the day that I would fall into the illness that would propel my creative career into a new realm. However, I now find myself arguing that philosophy, in the first place, as well as my own definition of creativity and how it can be classified. This bog is not about arguing for or against a certain idea within the chapter, but rather, I am arguing the chapter itself.

I now feel that creativity extremely subjective, such that one is unable to label creativity in another person. Creativity can only be identified from within that person, creative ideas, however, can be subjectively identified by all others. Allow me to explain: The schizophrenic paints a picture of what they are living/experiencing/perceiving, not a creative idea that they got from a schizophrenic episode. That picture can then be viewed as being quite creative, but it is not a representation of creativity. My grandmother, for example, suffers from dementia and she has a plethora of creative stories about her past and present. I particularly like the one where my dad is a money hungry maniac that has put her into the nursing home so that he can steal the family fortune and take control of the business (of which neither exists to take). Now, again, these are fantastically creative, but to my grandmother they are the truth and she is living these situations.

I think for creativity to be called such, the person claiming the creativity must be able to make a distinction between the “normal” operation of the brain and the departure from that into the creative process. When I take a drug to enhance my creativity, I knowingly make a departure from my normal brain function into a part of my brain that has become unlocked for the use of retaining that information and using it in the future, or present if I am physically able. That is creativity. The works produced by troubled, or ill, individuals is creative, but cannot, in my eyes, be called creativity until it is drawn upon as a external source of inspiration and not the memoirs of everyday experience.