Artifice vs Authenticity
Creativity in the era of AI, its significance and limitations.
Pink Rose Blossom, watercolor. Key Notes Unconditional Love, Transmutes Negativity
This painting was completed in stages and remained unfinished for the greater part of three years. This painting can appear to some as dimensional, almost like a hologram. That’s how I see it, but when others describe a similar experience, it’s exciting and often unexpected.
Shop prints of this painting here.
Muse News, November Notes
Definitions of art and creativity can be misleading. And when AI is involved in presenting a convincing argument about how creative and artistic it is, things get weird. I don’t believe AI is truly creative. Artistry, as an authentic act, is the province of living beings. It is a life process that takes place when we are creative. If we decide to use paintbrushes, that is our choice.
Exquisite Paintings on the Nature of Flowers is a body of work based on a sophisticated visual analysis of Nature's frequencies = LOVE. My long-standing body of work, ongoing and now in phase two, began in the early 1990s and is the culmination of a lifetime quest—a sacred journey into the heart of Nature, beauty, and healing the myth of separation.
AI, still in its infancy, and the energetic heightening of human consciousness are components of current-day life pushing us to our limit. As we are moved between unity and division tossed by the waves of emotion, we can become unmoored. However, this is also a choice. We can always opt for stillness no matter how wide the chasm seems between here and there.
Shop prints of my Pink Rose Blossom painting here.
Always Here
We always exist in wholeness in the stillness, so where are we when we're not there? Distracted? Probably. It’s epidemic. Seeking the stillness, entering the flow state, and maintaining connection with our inner sanctum brings us closer to our truth. Safe space and our sanctuary, it’s always there for us. It’s here that we know connection.
Nature will do her thing regardless of us and our actions. But since we are part of her, our spirit housed in a body that nature nurtures, alignment is a good choice. Our faculties are an interface with this world, and creativity is a key factor for plugging into our power. It is our privilege and birthright to do so.
We all know that love is difficult to put words to. Creativity is like love, and cannot be defined in concrete terms. Yet we all know what creativity is, and we usually know what art is, kind of. It’s subjective. When pressed to define or defend it, words elude us.
Growing Pains
At 17, as I was preparing to enter college early admission. A few months prior, someone I looked up to caught me off guard. [Well!] Do you know who so-and-so is? Referring to an important abstract expressionist in the NYC area, she launched from her soapbox. The implication was that I was ill-prepared to move on to college if I didn’t. Disguised as concerned authority, her delivery was not exactly congratulatory. And no, I did not know who so-and-so was. Was that really going to be an issue?
As that summer came to an end, my first days of higher education drew near. I was excited, but the prospect of being ridiculed wasn’t something I was looking forward to. So I went to my local library to research the famous artist, so and so. There I found impressive books and information, all of which only added to my concern. The life and work of this artist was not relatable. My 17 trips around the sun could not fill in the blanks. Stumped, what else could I do? So, I simply moved along.
Once I began school, I was too busy to give what had transpired any further thought. My teachers were wonderful that year, and that famous artist was never mentioned. I forgot all about what happened and enjoyed two of the most productive semesters in my formal education. That person I’d looked up to disappeared from my life without a trace. I must have passed the test.
Support my work while you support yourself. Shop prints of my Pink Rose Blossom painting here.
Art and Authority
The most accomplished and talented artists I know, regardless of discipline, are modest about their work. They define humility and are forthright in their ways without apology. Confident and masterful, their work and drive are obviously inspired. But no one gets a stiff neck looking up to them.
Authority that divides and judges as it defines must be seen for what it is. Mixed messages, personal agendas, and the like are interference signals urging us in another direction. The overall message was; go to your own center and allow the truth to come through from there. In other words, think for yourself. And certainly don’t be afraid to go against popular thought.
Back in my teens, when I was confronted with false authority, I learned to ask myself; What do they want? Is what they’re saying helpful or in my best interests? But mostly —What do I want to do? And then I did it, regardless of their input. Mistakes are part of life, but I’d rather make my own rather than everyone else's.
I realized that perception rooted in deeper self can be surprisingly threatening. Truth was not as welcomed as I thought it would be. Either way, trust is required to have control over our own operating system. Stillness is the key to right alignment and with it comes a lifetime pass to tweak our path along the way.
The overall takeaway —The safe space of our inner sanctum is the only place from which to create. In other words, it’s the place to live our lives from. Among other things it gives us the gift of strength to meet the world.
It’s my happy place.
—Leslie
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