In love...

“Talking about his relationship to his art, Picasso describes an altered state of consciousness familiar to most people; being in love (Pg. 82)”.

I never knew that being in love could be considered an altered state of consciousness! Wow! Our book notes certain characteristics commonly associated with being in love; a passionate absorption in the object of desire, to the exclusion of much else in the world, a combination of arousal, love, and total focus (great explanation). This is so true, hence the saying, “when in love, nothing else matters”.

The creative has, what can be referred to as, a love affair with his imagination. The call to creativity is similar to the call the God. When a man or woman is called to God, from a Catholic view, they give up their traditional lives to become nuns or priests. Their lives revolve around worshipping God. When called to creativity, the artist often gives up their traditional life, excluding much else in the world to create. The “much else” often includes personal relationships. Hence, many creative people fail to make “mature” personal relationships, Pg. 83.

In the call the God, Catholic nuns and priests are forbidden from marrying in that they are considered to be married to God. “Some artists are extremely isolated, but the satisfaction of exercising their gifts, of hearing their work, outweighs the promise of alternative pleasures (Pg. 83)”. A nun or priest is traditionally satisfied being married to God, spending their time living in the image and likeness of Jesus, and also by reaching others through their work. For them, this outweighs the traditional lifestyle of getting married and having children.

A love of anything is what brings you happiness and permits you to succeed. Picasso loved art so he was an amazing artist. Bruce Springsteen loved music so he was an amazing musician. If we find what we love and follow that, we will be happy and hopefully successful.