Art and Enlightenment

A person once said that any artwork is a series of lies that leads to a greater truth. The beauty of the aforementioned saying is in the fact that it is indeed true. Superlative art is always a vehicle that leads the individual to a higher plane than the one he inhabits. What this necessarily means that an art form inspires an individual to reach within himself and find a greater truth. It catapults the individual into an ecstatic stupor as it gives him a glimpse of true divinity thorugh itself. Or does it? In the recent times, we see that art is mostle reduced as a way to entertain oneself. Artist consider themselves to be mere entertainers. In reality, though, there is a big difference between an artist and an entertainer. Though many in today’s day and age fail to cognize the difference, it still remains an irrefutable fact that an artist is far above a mere entertainer in terms of divine association.

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To elucidate that thought clearly, I would first have to shed light on the subtle differences that exist between an artist and an entertainer. An artist is necessarily one who worships an art-form; one who uses it as a means to achieve a greater purpose. Contrary to that an entertainer has but one agenda on his mind; to get a positive reaction from the audience. To achieve that, the entertainer usually does only that which please the audience, irrespective of the fact that it may indeed be indescribably stupid. The audience on their part are mostly comprised of individuals who are deluded themselves. Hence the art-form that an entertainer employs does nothing but evoke a reaction from a group of utterly befuddled individuals. Thus the fact of the matter remains that neither is the entertainer able to make a lasting positive impact on the lives of the audience; nor is the audience able to derive some substance through the mindless antics of the entertainer.

I have always believed in my self-written edict that Art serves its purpose in Enlightenment. The true artist has the capability to beautifully manipulate and employ any art-form to serve this benevolent purpose. He uses varied means to ensure that his art-form is not only entertaining but massively enlightening at the same time. Thus owing to these efforts he ends up creating something that is genuinely outstanding and worthy of immense accolades. He ends up creating something that proves to be worth the pain and sacrifice that he has to endure in the process of creation.

The real point of the matter is that any creatiive achievement is the result of great pain and sacrifice. It is only when an artist bleeds through his heart, that he can truly create something that leaves an indelible mark on the psyche of the audience. Thus any artist, when he creates something that is truly inspiring and enlightening at the same time, in a way does a great philanthropic service to human kind. In every way, that benevolent act makes all his pain and all his sacrifices seem worthwhile.

Ultimatley it is a personal choice for every artist to choose enlightenment over mindless entertainment. Some prefer the latter owing to the fact that it is a much easier thing to accomplish. Inducing enlightenment in others requires the art-form to have great power within itself. It takes a great amount of effort and intuitive cognizance coupled with unmatched skill and tenacity to weave a creation that can ignite the spark of realization in another individual.

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Episode 1: The Onset

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In the maiden episode of the Conquer It series, we give a brief overview of what the series is all about. The oft-used cliché that life is a war finds a whole new meaning in this series of audio epistles. YES! Life indeed is a war, but most of the times, it is war that you wage against your own weaknesses; for in the end, your weaknesses keep you from achieving superlatively in all walks of life. How can one truly surmount these undesirable factors? How can one truly conquer his weaknesses? Listen to the following audio epistle to find the answer…

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Art, Inspiration & God

Artists through the decades have always been perceived as being closer to God. They have always had to love and adulation of all those around them, simply owing to the fact that they have inspired countless more with their artistic creations. While this fact can never be denied, one is always forced to ask the subsequent question…

Ludvig Van Beethoven

Ludvig Van Beethoven

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Are artists really that close to God?

The answer to that question cannot be given in one single word. To say the least, it can be stated that most artists live in a starkly bipolar existence that meanders aimlessly between ecstasy and anguish. They are closest to God in the moment of creation, and yet when that moment passes away, they fall back into the abyss that is created in the wake of their flight. The reason for this is inherently the fact, that artists are in the end, but humans. They are humans, who in parts are extremely enriched and wel-endowed in terms of the gifts that they receive from the creator. Yet they bear all the weaknesses and the frailties that accompany human existence.

An artist is a vehicle of expression. He is necessarily someone, who remains untouched by the many deceptive illusions that society puts on an individual. Society on its part, tries to train and breed individuals equally, irrespective of their qualities and their capabilities. The mould, in which human beings are cast in, is something that completely destroys the spontaneity and creativity in any human being. These same virtues of creativity and spontaneity are preserved intact in any artist. Thus it would not be wrong to state that any artist is someone who the society has failed to institutionalize according to its mandate.

Thus the artist is nothing but a vehicle of expression. He is someone, who can carry the intuitive cognizance of divinity and express it directly through his art. Owing to the fact that he is but a vessel of inspiration, it is often seen that these artists are some of the most personally devastated and troubled individuals. This is owing to the fact that they simply remain the vessels of inspiration; and they on their own accord fail to ingest and utilize the divine intuitive grace that flows through them.

So are artists really that close to God?

I would say simply for a few moments they are; but there are some who are resolute in carrying out a divine purpose through their work of art; the divine purpose of enlightenment. For it is this purpose that brings them all the more closer to God, and then they remain there for good; for in the end, they truly become that which they preach. Art serves its purpose only in enlightenment… and that is a purpose that rescues every ailing artist of his varied heartaches…

P.S. The man featured in the image is Ludvig Van Beethoven, an eighteenth-century composer.
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