Artistic Masterpieces Move Us — But To Where?
(Plus, how this knowledge fast-tracks creating your own masterpiece)
There is a certain magic to artistic masterpieces like Michelangelo’s Pieta or Mozart’s Requiem. ✨
Masterpieces like these transport us, move us, and take us out of our normal, everyday awareness… but have you ever thought to where?
Think about how you’ve felt in the presence of true artistic masterpieces.
😮 You may have had this sense of connecting with something larger than your individual self.
😮 You may have felt more alive, more present, more inspired.
😮 You may have found solace and healing.
😮 You may have felt more connected with those around you.
My belief is that these are the core, transformative functions of art. Moreover, the degree to which a work of art performs these transformative functions determines its status as a masterpiece.
👉 It turns out that understanding art’s core, transformative functions can help you as an artist more easily create your own masterpiece. Here’s how…
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What all masterpieces have in common is that they induce a shift in consciousness; they give you a felt sense of “something bigger” than your egoic, self-centered concerns.
One term for this “something bigger” is interbeing, a term coined by Thich Nhat Hanh. In his own words:
“In one sheet of paper, we see everything else, the cloud, the forest, the logger. I am, therefore you are. You are, therefore I am. That is the meaning of the word ‘interbeing.’ We interare.”
In other words, interbeing is the felt sense that a piece of you is in everything and a piece of everything is in you. 🌌
You can understand interbeing better by recognizing the linguistic root common to the English words “holistic,” “whole,” “healing,” and “holy.” Stepping into interbeing reveals a holistic vision of life, makes you feel more whole, heals your wounds, and evokes a feeling of the holy amid daily life.
And isn’t this what great art does?
It takes you from your normal, constricted, egoic sense of self, and reveals a larger truth: you are not an isolated individual in a world of “other.” Instead, you are the Universe experiencing itself through your unique body, mind, and environment.
It is to this larger, more holistic, healed, and holy place that artistic masterpieces move us. 🙏
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So, what does this all mean about how you, as an artist, can better create your own masterpieces?
👉 Firstly, understand that interbeing is the key to creating artistic masterpieces. Any time a dance, poem, or play evokes some aspect of interbeing, it reaches towards its full potential as a masterpiece.
👉 Secondly, understand that you, your art, and your audiences “interare.” To create art that evokes interbeing for your audiences, you, yourself, must create from a place of interbeing.
How to do this? It begins with gaining a felt sense of interbeing.
Try this exploration with a friend. Stand in front of your friend and say out loud, “You are me, seeing the world with a different set of eyes.” Repeat this until you get a sense that this person truly is you, just with a different body and life experiences. Then, take this out in the world, saying it to yourself in reference to every living being you see. Even little glimpses of interbeing can be transformative, so practice this diligently until you start experiencing it regularly.
Then, start to look for the larger wholeness that encompasses any separations you perceive in yourself during the creative process.
Is your body truly separate from your mind? What happens when you see the way your body reacts to every thought you have?What’s the larger motivation that unites the part of you that wants to practice and the part of you that doesn’t?What happens to your performance anxiety when you stop regarding your audience as a judgmental “other” and instead see them as co-creators?What happens to your creative energy if, instead of denying the pain inside, you welcome it and let it break you open to a new, more authentic version of yourself?
The more you let glimpses of interbeing permeate who and what you think you are, and the more you heal the splits between that which you thought separate, the more alignment will exist among your art, your well-being, and what your audiences crave to experience from your art. 👏
This is not only the definition of a fulfilling creative life, but also the defining feature of a creative process capable of producing true masterpieces. 🤩
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Want to a guided experience of interbeing and how it can transform your creative process?
Email me at [email protected] for a free 30-minute Zoom call where I’ll guide you into interbeing and show you how it can help you create your next masterpiece.
Joseph Arnold
Masterpiece Mentor
Author of “Soulforce: How to discover your artistic purpose, create more freely, and make art that matters.”
SoulforceArts.com
