The novice begins with or without the help and guidance of a particular master. If the apprenticed remains with a master, at some point the blend must be followed by a break to independence. Otherwise, the apprentice is only a servant. The apprentice path is as simple and clear as it is created by the master for the apprentice. Always an advantage to be an apprentice to a master who without reservation gives freely to the novice.
But sometimes the novice has no single master. The world becomes the teacher. Each person gives information. Each experience adds to the apprentice's knowledge. This path is hardly clear, nor is it simple. However, this path is clearly profound.
Gautama discovered a particular path to enlightenment and became Buddha. He shared his discovery with followers who became his apprentices. Later the apprentices became masters who accepted apprentices and so on, for hundreds of years. But Gautama was the first.
For a creative spirit there are steps to learning which mirror the spiritual journey of Buddha. The feeling of unease spurs the creative to a new endeavor, a new teacher, a new technique, a new media, a new genre. The creative exhibits the inner need to expand, to find new and different experiences from which to select, manipulate, change, and imagine.
The path of the artist by definition must be a solitary journey. Certainly a collective project brings together artists but without the spark the process of art is just a copy. The newness of discovery is what separates the creative from an imitator.
Once imagined the creative moves toward making the unreal real. The process may be as small as a sketch or note. The process may be as large as a sculpture or building. The artist holds the experience in their heart, their being expands. They learn and grow from the experience and move closer to bliss.
However you may travel, with or without a master, the journey may be creative learning that leads to bliss. All you need to do is step on the path.
4 comments:
This is such a great post and so well written, I read it twice I enjoyed it so much! I am surrently reading a book called Reconnecting With Your Soul by Susan Christopher. Learning about getting back to my "God-Self", and back to basics with my soul. This post goes right along with some of what I ahve learned from this book! I got it at http://reconnectingwithyoursoul.com if you want to check it out. Thanks again for this wonderful post!
I love this post! Your last sentence is so true - all you need to do is step on the path!
Thank you Ashlee and Sherry for reading & commenting on Master Leanrer, Master Creative. :)
Very interesting read. I really like the title.
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