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
... See moreJames Somers • JamesSomers – More people should write
We all believe in life.
We feel a certain devotion.
We feel called upon to live as good a life as we can.
We feel that we are in the dark and that even in darkness we must struggle to know what is best to do.
Not altogether but each one every moment.
We feel that we should not live in just the same way as our ancestors lived. We feel that we should take... See more
We feel a certain devotion.
We feel called upon to live as good a life as we can.
We feel that we are in the dark and that even in darkness we must struggle to know what is best to do.
Not altogether but each one every moment.
We feel that we should not live in just the same way as our ancestors lived. We feel that we should take... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 111
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
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... 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... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 112
There is one great difference from man to man that I must mention. It is a difference in willingness to perform his function.
We, each of us, is born to a certain function. Sometimes our function is hidden from us by prejudice and fear. When an artist becomes aware of his exact function, that is when he knows, suddenly, exactly what he will do and... See more
We, each of us, is born to a certain function. Sometimes our function is hidden from us by prejudice and fear. When an artist becomes aware of his exact function, that is when he knows, suddenly, exactly what he will do and... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 97
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... See more
Other peoples lives will look better to us than our own life, more interesting and more rewarding.
This is a very... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 113
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