study - Waking Spirals

Study With and Without Desire

“Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

Probably one of the most egregious failures of most western systems of education is that of motivating students to learn. Indeed most are based on extrinsic grades rather than the ability to generate an interest in the material at hand. This is due to many factors. One of them is the focus on classical intelligence and the prioritizing of that over artistic, intuitive and or social intelligence. Another is that most school systems have not evolved beyond the 1950’s idea of training people to be factory or office workers, drones in work environments that have long since become outmoded.
Imagine how it could be. People encouraged to follow their passion and to find ways of utilizing that in innovative ways for social benefit and construction. Imagine the increase in knowledge that becomes possible when one explores one’s passion.
Blessings, G

Click on images to see full-sized:

Mythos by G A Rosenberg

Orange Flame by G A Rosenberg

Techniques of Art and Study

“People ask, ‘How do I go on with my studies, if I believe this, what do I do next?’ You BE next. You’re doing it right now. There’s no next. It’s right now. Right now. Everything you’re doing is a vehicle to wake up.”

– Ram Dass

Lately I’ve been looking at my art with a bit more of a critical eye. Which ones are in the top two to five percent that will become portfolio pieces (and signed prints)? Which ones have I done to learn a technique or scratch an itch that may one day be better? Which ones have I done to fill a page or because I know that people like it when I play in that way? Even more important, which images still live in me whispering and speaking, which are the true images that have either come through clearly or that I worked on with clear intention and so they breathe in unique ways? Each of these pictures have something going for it, else they end up discarded and unseen (or recycled when I have a better understanding of what it wants to be and that happens too, sometimes months later. I love what I do and I love the opportunity to share it with you.
Blessings, G

Click on images to see full-sized:

Autopilot by G A Rosenberg

Flights of Fancy by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – July 6 2012

“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”
― Richard Feynmann

I’m not sure but I when I first heard the Joseph Campbell quote, “follow your bliss” it sounded to me very much like this. Discipline and reverence don’t seem to be intrinsic qualities for me. I have always been intensely curious and I love to learn new things, yet structure for me seems mainly a challenge. When I went to University, I found my roommate’s senior courses in pre-law much more interesting than my freshman mathematics courses so three grade A papers for him and $300 for me later, he graduated with the best marks he had gotten in his career while I got lackluster grades. Part of it was that the teacher wasn’t thrilled that i would arrive at the right answer in a way different than what she had shown in class. Perhaps if I had attended more of the classes.

Even now I find it a strain to discipline my thoughts and perhaps this shows in my writing. Life has always felt more weblike than linear to me with connections happening in the weirdest places kind of like a psycho-spiritual seven degrees of Kevin Beacon with concepts rather than people (seven degrees of Frances Bacon?) Still I have grown comfortable in my scatteredness and am not sure I would have it any other way.

Blessings, G

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Buddha on the Beach by G A Rosenberg

Twilight Ride in Big Sky Country