Until recently, I never fully realized… I am a healer. At least that’s what my Autobiographical Assemblage Flora Stargazer told me and I’m truly amazed by the entire experience. Besides, Flora claims she “can see better with her eyes wide shut” and who can argue with that kind of vision! Before doing the writing part of the project, I knew I was an artist who uses art as a healing tool, but I'd never consciously separated the two roles of artist and healer. I had to go back through my personal spiritual prayer journal and sure enough, I found the messages there too! Life really is a series of rude awakenings, like Rip Van Winkle says. My friends just looked at me funny when I begged them for a little confirmation, like I’m a little whacked for my sudden shock at this new discovery. I really shouldn’t be surprised they say. It’s a “can’t see the forest for the trees” sort of thing maybe. Still what an honor! I’m so incredibly humbled. This is such an awesome workshop! Thanks again Marney for sharing it with the universe! I don’t quite know what to make of it… I’m overwhelmed and overjoyed!
Let me back up a little. Over the weekend I led the Autobiographical Assemblage workshop created by Artella’s founder, our very own Marney Makridakis, that was featured in a recent article of The Artella Daily Muse. Just in case you missed that article, an Autobiographical Assemblage is a figure that represents the intuitive self then is decorated with found objects, etc. and accompanied by a written piece. In addition to leading the workshop, I also was able to create my own Autobiographical Assemblage. Later in the week, in a glorious moment of Galactic Synchronicity, I was posting a photo of Flora Stargazer in my Gallery, while Ramona Davis aka Poetic Java, was posting one of her amazing poems in her blog here in the Artella Cafe where I stop for a fresh cup to start my morning -- highly recommended! -- and this particular poem seemed to flow so well with the spirit of my assemblage I just had to comment on it (twice!) and with her permission, I incorporated it into the end of my autobiography. (Thanks so much for collaborating with me Poetic Java! You write some amazing poetry!) Now, without further delay, I'd like to introduce Flora Stargazer, HeArt Healer immediately followed by her Autobiography. Hope you enjoy!
FLORA STARGAZER
By Lori Minick (with an end
poem by
Poetic Java, used by permission.)
i am FLORA STARGAZER,
HeArt Healer
because He said,
“Stand up,
I choose you…”
And standing i longed to fly
along the shimmering butterfly chemtrails
carrying prayful burdens to the Creator.
Instead from the misty heights of purple passion have i plummeted
through the blood red swamps of sorrow have i staggered
up out of the murky depths of despair have i climbed
until the Sun of Righteousness
rose with healing in his wings
and i went free leaping with joy.
When all the colors of creativity flow together
into a muddy pool of self-pity and stagnation
that’s when i step in
steel-toed boot kicking and butterfly spur fluttering,
with a tiny zap of my stargazer scepter
i reframe time and space into a place where hearts mend and stitch,
because i have learned that sometimes
pain is the medicine…
by sharing it, i heal others and am myself being healed.
Now i know art is a healing tool and i choose to use it every day
So won’t you join me for a pot of creativi-tea?
And i’ll share a place in my heart that cries when you cry
and a song in my heart that sings even if you can’t find your voice.
THEN WE SHALL DANCE AND SING WITH THE ANGELS
for we are the music makers and the world shakers.
With the courage of a lion-ess i will help you dream a new dream
i C H E R I S H an uncritical exuberance for life
i can see better with my eyes wide shut.
Although i secretly hide a small hope for my long awaited frog prince i do apologize in advance to him if he should get stepped upon for i’m much too busy to be looking out for him these days and may accidentally squash him with my boot so it's best he get my attention first in a creative way: here’s “hopping” for the best…alas, i’m not holding my breath.
And YES! i do make house calls.
I’ll bring the crayons and colored pencils and paint – let’s redecorate!
It’s OK to draw on the walls…
of our hearts!
Knock, Knock.
So won’t you join me for a cup of Poetic Java?
At the other side
of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times
the size of our own sun exploded......
and beneath it i stand
letting the particles shower me
with love, affection and power.
can you feel it? i ask
can you feel the power of the sun
washing over you,
calling you,
begging you to be free?
Welcome, Creative Heroes! It’s day three of Dr. Eric Maisel’s virtual book tour through the Artella Café promoting his book, The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path Through Depression (VGB). What an amazing stroke of fate - or providence! (Depending on your “vocabulary of meaning” – please read the book...) The very topic for the blog contest I won in order to have the honor of hosting this interview was about heroes while Dr. Maisel states that his book is all about the heroism required of creators who struggle with their inevitable bouts of existential depression! In VGB he writes about why he believes they are prone to this type of depression and describes a practical plan for managing it.
Harqn2: What strategies about making and maintaining meaning can we expect you to discuss in your book to assist creative people in averting debilitating depression?
EM: A main strategy is simply to become aware of the concept that meaning does not exist until you make it and that it does not stay afloat unless you actively maintain it. A corollary idea is that without a vocabulary of meaning, it is very hard to think about and talk about meaning issues, which is why I include such a vocabulary as an appendix to the book. When you have phrases like meaning investment, meaning crisis, meaning spark, meaning leak, and similar terms to employ internally, you have a new way of speaking to yourself that reminds you about your central obligations and helps you actually become a passionate meaning-maker.
Harqn2: Based on the premise that creative people inevitably will experience depression because they regularly experience doubts about the meaningfulness of their work, how might having a strong religious/spiritual faith both benefit and hinder the struggle to find and make meaning?
EM: This is a tricky question for me because I am both an atheist and an anti-religionist who believes that god-talk is a betrayal of our common humanity. As soon as you inject that a god has told you something, you have trumped any rational discussion of a subject. Naturally, a believer may find it easier to avoid feelings of meaninglessness because he can take comfort in his beliefs and in this sense he may have an easier time maintaining meaning. To my mind, to make meaning is to accept that you are the sole arbiter of what is going to count as righteous and meaningful in your life.
Harqn2: In the chapter Sounding Silence you discuss Negative Self-Talk and it's role in meaning crises, do you think as creatives we sabotage ourselves and our abilities?
EM: Yes, all the time. We are continually saying things to ourselves (though often just out of earshot) like “It’s too late for me” or “There’s too much competition” or “I don’t really have what it takes.” These negative thoughts need to be heard and disputed, and then more affirmative thoughts need to be substituted. More insidiously, as we are tricky creatures and because we don’t want to know to what extent we are disappointing ourselves by not creating, we couch our negativity in language that sounds true but that really isn’t. Today, the two most common phrases of this sort are “I’m too busy” and “I’m too tired.” We say these things because we know that they have enough grains of truth in them that we can believe them without examining them too closely. If we want to change this dynamic, we need to begin to say things to ourselves like “I’m very busy, but not too busy to spend twenty minutes on my novel.” In this way we honor the truth of our situation while at the same time not avoiding our existential responsibilities.
Harqn2: Depression has many negative connotations. How might depression help bring to light issues that other more positive states of being may not?
EM: It isn’t so much that depression brings to light these other states. It is rather that, at least at this point in the evolution of our species, to don the mantle of personal meaning maker, which is the righteous and proper thing to do, means that you look life squarely in the eye and do what it takes to manifest your potential and act as the hero of your own story—and by accepting all this you open the door for depression, since it can be depressing to see the truth about reality and depressing to struggle so hard to bring forth beauty and good works. The depression isn’t any kind of blessing or positive state, but it may be an inevitable by-product of our decision to live honorably.
Harqn2: Could you explain more about the importance of a creator's task in being able to find a certain freedom of attitude when reckoning with the facts of existence, while still maintaining authenticity?
EM: Nice to get a simple question now and then! :-) I often think of this particular task as dream-upholding while reality-testing. If you do not actively keep your biggest dreams afloat, they are likely to get swamped and submerged by everyday reality. At the same time, if you do not reckon with the facts of existence—for instance, what your particular marketplace wants or what sales tactics actually work (rather than those that the books say work)—you are likely to relegate your dreams to fantasy-land. The freedom in attitude resides in not attaching to outcomes: you hold your dream, you do the work, you reality-test well, and you leave the rest up to the gods of whimsy. Be fiercely ambitious while not attaching to outcomes: that is the secret!
Harqn2: Thanks for stopping by my blog today Dr. Maisel. Oh, look! Here comes Spot, my editor. She’s brought her copy of the Van Gogh Blues. I think she wants an autograph… you don’t mind do you, Dr. Maisel? Thanks again! Be sure to check back tomorrow when Dr. Eric Maisel visits Be-Bop Bo’s blog on day four of his virtual book tour in the Artella Café.
For more information about Dr. Eric Maisel's work see his website: http://www.ericmaisel.com/
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Just for fun – Spot wanted to share a few of her favorite quotes from the book
“Your two eyes are not enough—you must cultivate a third eye with which you monitor the ebb and flow of meaning in your life.” –Dr. Eric Maisel Ph.D.
“Maybe you can’t deliver a miracle—but maybe you can. Stand up, even if your legs are wobbly, and deliver.” --Dr. Eric Maisel Ph.D.
“You are free to choose your meanings since meaning is entirely up for grabs. But you are also obliged to choose your meanings, as meaning means nothing until you tell the universe where you stand.” --Dr. Eric Maisel Ph.D.
“Point of View” by Lori Minick, Collage on Paper