Category: 2023

The reading delves into the concept of consciousness and its relevance to self-awareness, acknowledging that while ancient practices may not seamlessly align with the demands of today’s world, they emphasize the significance of liberating ourselves from societal norms and impulsive tendencies. This understanding sets the stage for exploring the notion of “flow,” where we immerse ourselves fully in a task, experiencing deep engagement and focus. According to the reading, achieving a flow state requires seeking out challenging tasks that align with our skill level and avoiding overly difficult ones. It also highlights the importance of controlling and aligning our thoughts with our goals to enhance our overall well-being.

Building upon these insights, I find myself contemplating the integration of flow elements into our work lives. The author’s exploration of sports, games, and other activities as transformative tools for altering reality and discovering joy resonates deeply with me. It prompts me to reflect on how we can intentionally shape our mindset to overcome self-doubt and fears, as discussed in the book “Art & Fear.” By consciously constructing our consciousness in such a manner, we have the potential to uncover newfound joy and fulfilment in our creative pursuits, fostering a continuous state of flow throughout the creative process. This underscores the vital role of our mindset and approach in unlocking our creative potential while cultivating a heightened sense of engagement and satisfaction in our work. By embracing this understanding, we can navigate our creative journey with purpose and intention, harnessing the power of flow to enrich our lives and creative endeavours.

Interesting use of the body

Creates her own instruments (or breaks conventional instruments)

Eating voices seemed kinda funny.

Willing to experiment with new ways

I really enjoy this reading’s analysis of humankind and human history through the perspective of leisure/pleasure and not work. After all, as the author mentions in the text, many societies have spent more time in flow activities than performing labor. Still, I personally do not remember reading something that emphasized the former aspect of life. I think it makes sense to discuss flow because everything else would probably feel less meaningful if we didn’t have a way to enjoy fulfillment in other ways.

The reading explores the idea of consciousness and how we can become more aware of ourselves. It recognizes that ancient practices may not work well in today’s world, but it emphasizes the importance of freeing ourselves from societal rules and our own impulses. One key concept is “flow,” where we feel fully engaged and focused on a task. The reading explains that to experience flow, we need to find challenging tasks that aren’t too difficult. It also highlights how controlling our thoughts and focusing on our goals can improve our overall well-being.

Moreover, the author discusses the role of sports, games, and other activities in altering our reality and providing enjoyment. This made me reflect on how we could structure our lives to enter a state of flow in our work. By consciously shaping our mindset, we can overcome self-doubts and fears, as described in the book Art & Fear. Constructing our consciousness in such a way may allow us to find joy and fulfillment in our creative endeavors, experiencing a heightened state of flow throughout the creative process.

May 22, 2023

The air is cold and the ground is rough. After a grueling day tied to the metal bird, surviving the royal guards and tasteless metal bird food, I have finally arrived in the city of Berlin. The native seem polite, but I must stay vigilant. Their tongue is different. Usually I would consult the whispering stone to help me navigate, but the stone is not able to use the energy here. I must wait till I am somewhere with energy the stone recognizes. There are traces of a troubled history here, I can smell it in the air.

Tomorrow I meet the sorcerer. He says he can ‘transform’ my mind. Only time will tell.

May –, 2023

I closed my eyes, and the world around me folded into itself. He was chanting his spell. At first it was nothing, then something, then everything. I tried to keep steady, but even a 1000 years of practice under Ares and Aphrodite couldn’t prepare me for the wave of energy that came over me. I felt it crawl on my skin, not just here or there, but everywhere. My body lit up, as if illuminated by a million suns, and I had to break focus since I could no longer bear.

I learned the power of the body and mind. It constantly feels, but only perceives when and what I want. I’ll continue to broaden myself through this practice, to feel, to focus and to flow.

Jun 4, 2023

I had visions of a distant future. It was not pretty. There was no sun, no sea, and no grass. Only subjugation by silicon. The visions did not come easy, they had to be cajoled out. The master taught me how to use why, and how why worked remains a mystery to me. The mind is like a maze, and just asking reveals answers. Sometimes they are right, other times you run out of time. Even wrong answers can lead to the right ones.

May 30, 2023

Let your lonesome lie asleep, for today we work as a guild. People are hard, apples are easy. But with patience, I learned that just as there are different kinds of apples, there are different kinds of artisans, and each can add their own to the guild’s endeavor. With a little magic of the ‘why’, we knit together our spells into one that the world awes. Small realizations add up to big internal changes.

Jun 1, 2023

The scrolls of wisdom hold knowledge immense. Art and Fear revealed the truth. “The perfect is the enemy of the good”, they said. However, it is hard to follow the truth. However, the best I can do is remember, and fail and try and remember again. I hope that one day, it becomes second nature to follow instinct and ruthlessly iterate over criticism rather than to lie listless in the war-room, paralyzed and unable to make a move.

Jun 5, 2023

The radical sylph Poon flew by and let pour a sacred rain. In the pools of water we saw a beckoning. A call to be free, to let go, to experience fully, and to not be afraid. To do all in your reach, to polarize if you can, and to be antifragile. It was a different form of dance, one that is more felt than seen. I learned today the power of symbols, and of discomfort and pure experience.

Jun 7, 2023

It’s time to leave. The lessons I learned leave with me. It has been the most uncomfortable pleasure. Did I transform? Only time will tell.

In this reading, the author delves into the intricate realm of consciousness and the pursuit of achieving higher levels of awareness. While recognizing that ancient practices may have lost some of their effectiveness in today’s world, the author emphasizes the enduring importance of striving for freedom from social controls and innate impulses. The reading underscores the significance of this pursuit, highlighting the concept of “flow” as a key aspect. Flow refers to a state of complete engagement and immersion in a task, and the reading emphasizes the necessary conditions for its occurrence. These conditions require finding a fine balance between the task’s difficulty and one’s own skill level. By choosing tasks that are challenging but not too hard, people can enjoy the thrilling state of flow.

Furthermore, the reading emphasizes the vital role of consciousness control in the journey toward freedom of consciousness. It stresses the need to actively manage and direct one’s awareness toward desired goals and intentions. By consciously controlling their consciousness, individuals can navigate the complexities of life, transcend societal norms, and external pressures. The reading also highlights the importance of finding enjoyment and fulfillment in the tasks and activities one engages in. By cultivating intrinsic motivation and deriving pleasure from their pursuits, individuals are more likely to maintain a state of flow and unlock their full potential

I agree with the reading’s focus on finding pleasure and satisfaction in our activities. Inner motivation and true interest are important for keeping a state of flow and unleashing our potential. However, I would also say that external factors, such as social norms and pressures, can affect our ability to enjoy certain tasks. To achieve liberation from social and innate influences, we may need not only personal reflection but also systemic changes that allow people to match their activities more with their passions and values.

The author describes levels of consciousness. Higher levels of consciousness are associated with higher control over consciousness. This in turn allows us to exert greater control over our urges, whether biological or societal.

At first I thought the book was going to be a proponent of ancient arts, advocating that the Buddhists, the Taoists and the like know something that we do not know. However, the reading took a pleasant turn when the author took a different approach to increasing levels of consciousness. He argued that the conditions required for reading high states of consciousness, the states where it is easier to get into ‘flow’ (a sense of complete immersion into the task at hand), changes with time. The practices that worked for the Buddhist founders may not work (in the same way that it did for them) for someone in our generation.

The reading goes on to describe the conditions of flow. The most important take-away for me from this section was the notion of ‘adequate effort’ (my own term here). If the task at hand is too easy, we get bored. If it is too challenging, we get anxious. It is in the middle ground that flow is achieved.

Computational modelling data suggests that an error rate of ~15% is ideal for learning. This should coincide well with where the flow state is.

Connecting sound with other senses. Using body as a conductor of sound. exploring senses, deep listening, feeling completely, co2 makes you sick, putting yourself out there. Improvise.

This chapter discusses a very important topic that disrupts our thoughts in the creative process that people don’t talk about much, but everyone has felt it at some point: fear of others.

The fear of standing out, and standing out badly, has been a big thing in our societies; no matter how much we like to admit it (or not), sometimes we don’t do what we want, share our thoughts, or pursue something because we are aware of the fact that people and society as a whole has too much power to decide if your creative thought is acceptable and approvable. This is why, most times, people tend to suppress their ideas and dreams, which oftentimes leaves them very sad and regretful later in life.

While reading this chapter, I immediately remembered my feelings and emotions during my first dance class ever, where I didn’t understand the professor’s language, wasn’t as flexible, or had as much experience as the other dancers, part of me felt scared, ridiculed, and very embarrassed, at least for the first few classes, I always had ideas and build on for the choreographies but then keep them to myself because I was scared that I would be suggesting something crazy, because of that, the first few months I did dance, I didn’t feel any improvement or evolvement in my dance.

The moment I saw change and progress was when criticism of my dancing was accepted in moderation in a cheering way and from specific people. I started exploring different moves and ways to dance, experimenting with isolating different body parts. I felt so much progress when I stopped overthinking and caring so much about what other dancers would think about me. So in a way, this is what this chapter teaches us, be fearless, don’t doubt yourself too much, and allow yourself to go through the lateral process, accept it and welcome it with open arms.

• Prepared piano and free improv
• Nylon bites (only you or duet)
• Sharing the sound of the body with someone else
• Sound as a way of relation to people and to things
• Singing inside someone’s mouth…
• No amount of lateral thinking would have gotten me to her eating voices project I was VERY surprised and I would love to hear more about it