When painting you require both a subject and a medium. Where do we draw our subject for our creative work? Are there creative subjects in the world around us?

Based on our perceptions isn’t everything creative? Is anything of it’s own nature a creative subject. Does anything suggest it’s own creative essence?

There is a Taoist concept, Te, loosely translated as the uncarved block. The phrase uncarved block in inherently paradoxical. Nothing takes a block shape without being carved. Te is the realization that everything is both what it is in the moment as well as everything it could be.

Uncarved block reminds me of Rodan. When asked how he made his statues he replied, “I just cut away the non essential stuff.” Excellent reference. Perfectly relevant in this case.

So what of self? How can you render a self image if the self is subject to progressive change? How much of our self image is actually essential? Is your concern over your circumstances of the moment essential?

Depends on the circumstances. Indeed, but the emphasis is on concern.

I can’t speak for others, but as for myself when I am under immediate threat, rumination and emotional concern have nothing to do with whether I will save myself from harm or not. I have little time or ability to even think consciously in those cases. Is this unusual?

Again it reminds me I wasn’t concerned when in the neuro ward. Where I was very much concerned.

It is interesting how that works.

I experienced an emergency Friday morning and everything was crystal clear. I was so focused I had no thoughts other than, “Dial 911, sit beside him, check if he is breathing, hold his hand” etc. Worry or stress didn’t even come into play until after. That’s a perfect example.

In what circumstance is our concern over our circumstance essential? Does your self image include anything more than concern over your circumstances?

Your self image, the usual passive kind, is a concept here, a concept there, all from experience and all mixed in together without any rhyme and reason. I would argue even in the passive case there is a running thread through the tapestry of the self image, but it’s hard to see in the mass of other stuff we surround it in.

When that concern drops my self image has dropped? When the concern drops your perception clears. For most, what they define as perception is conception. They experience more the moment to moment flow of their ideas about things than experiencing those things. This is why creativity seems too difficult in general, always seems to be a special case experience rather than the rule of the moment.

I noticed in the hospital, people looked at me with ideas that didn’t compute for me. Everyone interpreting your state in their personal/impersonal way. Yes! There is no such thing as the impersonal. When do people mention the impersonal?

“It’s just business.” Only when they are crossing lines, being either actively or passively aggressive. Human beings are not capable of an impersonal stance. It ignores the very nature of the human mind.

So, this being true, how does our self image become so confused?

Because it’s a hodgepodge of ideas from our experience, and we don’t take the time to sort them out.

Because we look to others to define us.

Life is too easy?

All true, very true, and also very false.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~