Toward the end of the call last Sunday, I heard Jack explain an exercise in which one focuses on the space in which an object appears rather than focusing on the object.
At once, painting, drawing and sculpting came to mind. When engaged in painting, for this example, my primary focus is painting the space, with the object during the creative process a secondary focus. The object later emerges as the space it inhabits is filled with color, texture, what have you, without my painting the actual object.
I do not paint hard outlines or edges to define an object. In this type of painting, drawing and sculpting, one sees differently. Interestingly, I observe the object’s essence is more clearly expressed by painting it in this manner than if I had had focused on it primarily and simply defined it by painting hard outlines or edges.
Also, in music, when I played in the orchestra, we did not focus on our own playing, on our own part of the piece. We listened to the entire orchestra, and, listening, intuitively played our piece into the greater space of the orchestra and hall. Had we focused primarily on the object – the individual musician – space would have fragmented.
These artistic and musical practices are my lifelong habit of focusing primarily on space and secondarily on the object, if my understanding of this week’s lesson is on track. It offers a unique perspective – field? – from which to live my life. I find I can focus on an object, when necessary, but I find I also prefer less “zooming in†most times.
And…I wonder about the natural world. For example, I live near great aspen forests – groves? While they look like individual trees, they are actually collectively many trees connected underground as one living organism. We usually focus on the space – the entire aspen forest in a scene – before we zoom in to focusing on one tree.
Is that what we do? “Zoom In†when we primarily focus on an object? Is this where the phrase, “Can’t see the forest for the trees†originates?
I wonder if this process makes sense transcending art, music and TSK? Am I on track?
Warm regards, Erin
Hello Michael,
Thank you for your kind comment. I believe we each plod along…in our different ways…and I believe we each incorporate transitioning between focus on a narrow scope and wide scope in lovely ways we might not at first realize we’re already doing.
For example, the way you write every morning before work is a practice with which I’m familiar. I once had a professor explain that if we write in the way you describe, uncensored by our own editor, we may realize fresh and interesting discoveries about how we feel or think. In that practice, the “edges” dissolve!
The professor said, “You don’t really know what you think you know until you write it down [in a spontaneous stream or “flow” without censoring or editing]”. I find it’s exciting to reread later! And I’m usually surprised by what I’ve written…amused, delighted, reflective to see what I didn’t realize I “knew” (thought, felt, believed). In painting, we are also taught to step away from the painting, to literally see the painting with perspective :)
I like what you say about “what is written is a provisional resident in the larger neighborhood of all that is inspiring, moving and mysterious.” That’s a beautiful thought!
I’m happy to be here and explore TSK together.
Warm regards, Erin
Hi Erin,
Far from being a “new student” of TSK you seem to express a long-standing acquaintance with what the TSK vision tries to instill in plodders like myself. As someone who writes every morning before work, I would like to understand what you said about your painting. Perhaps I actually do know what you mean. Often I just pick up my pen and with appreciation accept whatever story, memory or image comes to mind, and then–as used to be said about the Yellow pages–let the pen do the walking. I guess I could think of that process in terms of what you said about music and painting: the larger life in the midst of which I find myself fills in the space around whatever images move onto the paper. At it’s best, what is written is a provisional resident in the larger neighborhood of all that is inspiring, moving, and mysterious. — Michael
Thank you, Tina. I appreciate your supportive comment!
The way I look at creating is the way I look at daily life, too. I’m often confused by “conventional” thinking as my life experiences have been filled with people with open and curious minds :)
I’m relieved and happy to learn I’m not way off base with my wonderings as they relate to TSK! Especially, being a “new” student of TSK.
Warm regards,
Erin
What a beautiful expression of your experience Erin! I love how you relate the way you create or paint ‘objects’ ‘out of’ space, without the ‘fixed’ edges. In doing so, you allow the edges of the objects to merge or melt into the edges of space (or vice versa), where there is no solid boundary.
Beautiful! And so true to the tsk vision.
Much love, Tina.