portrait of the artist
When I have a piece of writing in mind, what I have, in fact, is a mental bucket: an attractor for and generator of thought. It’s like a thematic gravity well, a magnet for what would otherwise be a mess of iron filings. I’ll read books differently and listen differently in conversations. In particular I’ll remember everything better; everything wi
... See moreJames Somers • JamesSomers – More people should write
You must discover the art work that you like and realize the response that you make to it. You must especially know the response that you make to your own work. It is in this way that you discover your direction and the truth about yourself. If you do not discover your response to your own work you miss the reward. You must look at the work and kno... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 154
There are two parts of the mind. The outer mind that records facts and the inner mind that says "yes" and "no". When you think of something that you should do the inner mind says "yes" and you feel elated. We call this inspiration.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 153
Living by inspiration is living. Living by intellect—by comparisons, calculations, schemes, concepts, ideas—is all a structure of pride in which there is not beauty or happiness—no life.
The intellectual is in fact death.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 137-8
To live and work by inspiration you have to stop thinking.
You have to hold your mind still in order to hear inspiration clearly.
You have to hold your mind still in order to hear inspiration clearly.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 137
In the night inspiration falls on the world like rain and penetrates our minds when we are asleep.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 118
At every moment we are helpless and defeated and at every moment we are commanded forward by inspiration.
There is no choice while we are on the true path.
There is no choice while we are on the true path.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 116
This is the side of death in the adventure of life versus death. We will be disrespectful of life and everything in it, even of our-selves. We will be complaining and destructive and we will have resistance to living our own life.
Other peoples lives will look better to us than our own life, more interesting and more rewarding.
This is a very unnatur... See more
Other peoples lives will look better to us than our own life, more interesting and more rewarding.
This is a very unnatur... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 113
The conscious mind is awareness of the sublime and it tells us what to do by showing us when we are off the track.
Obedience to the conscious mind carries us forward to greater
awareness.
Disobedience of the conscious mind carries us backward to less
awareness.
With more accurate obedience we become rapidly more aware of the sublime: of beauty and happi... See more
Obedience to the conscious mind carries us forward to greater
awareness.
Disobedience of the conscious mind carries us backward to less
awareness.
With more accurate obedience we become rapidly more aware of the sublime: of beauty and happi... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 112