Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
one of my paintings done with watercolor crayons
celebrating the art of paradox
Posts
delving into the wisdom of absurdity in whimsical way
this blog is about paradox.
through my questions, i hope to encounter the paradox within belief, that place where there is not one answer but many contradictory ones.
each question, each drawing is an invitation to join me in allowing what appears absurd to take us to a wisdom beyond linear thinking.
as long as we question, we are free. free to see, to feel and to express who we are. and to connect collaboratively with one another.
About Me
- anne artist
- i am a painter who began my career as a child coloring outside the lines of my coloring books. i am a writer who started out by composing adventure stories while riding my stick horse around the backyard. as a child, i got in trouble for asking too many questions...i question that.
you can find my cartoons in this online magazine!
http://thoughtsonsale.com/
here is the link to my photography blog about simplicity:
on a clear day she could see forever
one of my paintings done with watercolor crayons
"the emperor's new clothes" by hans christian andersen
this fairy tale has been a companion to me as i have traveled through my life.
briefly, it is about an emperor who was deceived by two tailors who said they were making a set of clothing out of a "dream" fabric. in reality, they used no fabric at all. to make their scam complete, they announced that only those who were wise enough would be able to see the beautiful clothing. and so, no one, not even the emperor, admitted to being unable to see it.
wearing his new "clothing", the emperor paraded through his kingdom. no one questioned his appearance; no one wished to appear less than wise.
until a small child asked, "why is the emperor not wearing any clothes?"
so it is that i ask, if i question rather than believe i am wise, what will i see?
Total Pageviews
Followers
Blog Archive
-
▼
2010
(101)
-
▼
September
(10)
- if i were a door, would i rather be a chair?
- if i stare closely at your face, will i lose my pe...
- if i were an airplane ready for takeoff, would i b...
- (part 2) if for my birthday this year, i ask you f...
- (part 1) it's my birthday! i'm getting ready to bl...
- if i went ahead, would an aspect of me follow behind?
- if i were invisible, could i see myself?
- if i were a tower of strength, would only the clou...
- if i married myself first, would you be my second ...
- if i were a waterfall, would i rather be the river?
-
▼
September
(10)
76 comments:
Since you are invisible, guess you couldn't see yourself also,but normally most of us couldn't see ourselves most of the time, then could i ask if you are invisible, could you still feel yourself ?? If i am invisible,could i feel myself ?
If you were invisble,I believe you wouldn't see yourself,but feel your presence.And since friends are often known as mirrors to show you, yourself, we will invent a mirror so that you can see yourself even though you are invisible to the world?
But if I can feel your presence does that still mean you are invisible?
you wouldn't have to
sally ang, what about seeing with your inner eye? some people think they have them. if a person sees with an inner eye, what does that individual see?
and, what is self-image......how do we see that?
interesting question about feeling who we are?
which brings up another question, must i visually see myself in order to see myself? if i were blind or i was out in the midst of a dark night......what then?
bh,
what a great question......."if i can feel your presence does that still mean you are invisible?" is visibility then an act of collaboration?
what would you make the mirror out of.....?
hope, from your comment, i have begun to wonder.....are there times we try to make ourselves invisible so that we do not have to see ourselves?
I would make the mirror out of love and true friendship, because even if you fail to notice your soul,I know my mirror will be like a true friend who can be your reflection, to show you your virtues,or sometimes to show you, you.If I am unable to make that mirror,can't my eyes show you the reflection of you,because I believe your invisibility would be nothing in front of the eyes of true friendship,so you would be invisible yet so visible..
if you were blind,i am sure somebody will be your eyes,and I guess presence will be more important to you than visibility,like there are often times when we are visible to people but they don't feel our presence,so doesn't make us invisible to their eye?Thus may be visibility and feeling of presence goes side by side..
if you are in the dark in the midst of the forest,the trees and birds get to see you and feel you,and everytime you make contact with an object or human,you have lost your invisibility cloak,'cause to me you are like the air,i can't see it directly but I can see it via objects..thus I know you are there...
Can I ask what inspired this sketch and question?
Bleeding Healer
bh, i do like what you said about us being like the air. are we not the breath of life......and if so, how is that visible?
also, i might be the dance of life.....visibly....i might have many ways of expressing me and yet, i will also have the invisibility cloak that i can wear, either intentionally or without noticing.
as for how the drawing/question came into being, i don't have a concrete answer for that. i show up at my drawing table and sit quietly until either a question bubbles up or i "see" a drawing. once that part is done, i sit quietly until the second part becomes apparent. so, basically, i just put myself in a "blog bubble" and float there until it comes together.
and then if there are comments, i am usually intrigued by where they lead......
having said all that, invisibility is something i have thought about most of my life.
what is it i have learned to see?
may be sometimes we need the eyes to see,or rather believe in the things not noticeable to naked eyes..may be breath of life is engraved in u and reflecting upon yourself will bring that visibility?
I love the phrase "dance of life" it is so beautiful and I hear the tunes,yes invisibility cloak can be worn intentionally or unintentionally..
blog bubble interesting..though somehow I thought that each painting and question signified some connection to your life,so sometimes I try to imagine you in your posts,but I actually dont imagine since I see you in your sketches and often think some thought,event, memory or emotion must have triggered this...
what have you learned to see is something only you can answer, i can guess about wisdom,knowledge,truth,love,warmth,memories,people etc..but it's your eyes and you have painted a picture using them so you answer the question this time..what have you seen?or are seeing?
Bleeding Healer
the blogs are about me and not about me.....paradoxically. the images and questions bubble up from somewhere, yes. if a question bubbles up that does not seem to have a ready answer, then i post it. in the comments, i talk a little more about my life.
however, after posting today's blog, i did realize that it had quite a bit to do with me this week. i just had not "seen" it at the time.
i am intrigued by how the breath of life can be "engraved" within me....very interesting.
and as for your question.....from what little i have learned of anthropology, seeing can be a cultural process. and is related possibly to language....i am taught/socialized about what is regarded as noticeable in my culture.
in addition, i can drive down the street and notice cars but little else; the clouds, trees, the sun.....all invisible.
i can focus on the past or future and be invisible to me "now". if i look at you, am i seeing me in you?
as you can see, it appears that i am visibly interested in the concept of invisibility.......
ok I am hooked on this stuff, seems more philosophical than I need right now. CHeck out my crappy artwork
What have you seen? and are seeing ?....good question...sometimes maybe we should not focus on seeing ourselves ....but that of others, maybe we are the air ...providing that breathe of life to others ....aren't we a happier bunch if we could do more for others through things we do and questions we ask ....to let them think through ....to let know that the world we live in ....we need each individual to feel for each other, to listen,to see each other ....in the many faces of themselves ....not the only you...but the you in "blog bubble"....the you who draw up the picture ....the you who penned down the question :)....
vincent, no need to see it philosophically.....
the next time you're invisible, let us know if you saw yourself.....and were you wearing a mask?
sally ang......your words and images are so beautiful. thanks.
i like "the many faces of themselves" which leads me to ask.....if we have many faces, then do we have many eyes with which to see?
if vision is a property of my eyes and the visible body is "me", there will be no "me" to see anything.
We become invisible when we are so afraid of seeing ourselves, we do not allow the world to see us.
to quote from an old song..."is that all there is?"
is thought visible?
is that why we say...... i see what you mean....?
nice post!
thank you, mwb, i had not thought to ask how it is that we become invisible.......
It is interesting- seeing vs. feeling. There are always times when we wish we were invisible, and they are usually times when we are unable to feel our own magnitude.
feeling our magnitude....even having a clue what that is....fear of being overwhelmed by our own "magnitudinousness"....is there a magnitude 101 class?
The magnitude of our being. The responsibility that we feel we have to ourselves, others, the world. The gravity of communication, connections, constantly being within our skins, unable to escape to a place of utter tranquility. We become fearful and overwhelmed. We hide. We become invisible. But where do we go? The mind can feel trapped within the body, an entire world, pulsing, trying to get out. We are alone there when we are invisible. But we must always emerge into the light again, taking with us the magnitude of our thoughts to present to the world. Giving ourselves magnitude.
wow..mwb, the magnitude of your comment......
when you spoke of being in the mind....creating aloneness and invisibility.....
once again, i had not asked myself to take another look at aloneness......you have been a catalyst for me in reconsidering it.....thank you.
and yet, i wonder, your words are leading me somewhere...so i am jumping in.....what about that saying....we are always alone and never alone?
We only really exist in our minds. We may interact with people, form relationships, experience emotion for others, but in the end, the way we perceive things, who we are, can only be found within our own mind from which we can never escape. But on the other hand, our mind is enshrined in the physical. Our thoughts are not purely our own. They are the result of experiences in the world and the people we experience in it. In this sense, no one's mind is pure. No one's mind is their own. But we are not polluted by the "outside world". It is precisely because of the collage of reused thoughts and beliefs making up the mind that we can evolve, create our own thoughts, and inspire thoughts in the world outside of our mind. We use our solitude to connect with the solitude in others.
Very nice, congratulations
From Brazil
Felipe Folopes
mwb, once again, i am reconsidering another concept...solitude.....and that my solitude connects with that other people.......i love starting the week creating collages such as this conversation........
and we "really only exist in our minds" ...minds we cannot see or touch......invisible, as it were....we can hear our thoughts, feel our bodies react to them.....but we cannot see our minds.....yet, we can see the images our minds create.....
as you say, create collaboratively......
how cool it is to consider that a purpose of life is to "inspire thoughts in the world outside of our mind."
would you say that there is a group mind, or various group minds....that we create culturally and in other ways?
love your thoughts anne it reminds me of a true story that happened to me.
Once i was trapped in both sleep paralysis and a dream state at the same time.
Unable to move or wake without any seeming control I began to dream I was dreaming (swear this all actually happened!). In the dream with in the dream I was dreaming the perfect being. I couldn't see this perfect being but I envisioned him. Each muscle and tooth, the green of his eyes I would never see save in my imagination. At the end I dreamed him alive and he shook his mighty wings and flew off. I woke then, and woke again. I swear for days I could hear the flapping of wings I'd never see.
I think even if we could never see our selves we would always have the conception of who we are firmly in mind. Maybe even so firmly we wouldn't know we were invisible.
Love your blog.
You are so wonderful!
Lazarus Lupin
http://strangespanner.blogspot.com/
art and review
PS: The rue of law is often in the lack of convictions.
All 6,868,400,000 minds in the world combine into one big entity known as humanity. Powerful, yet created through the invisible.
lazarus lupin is in the house!
i am so amazed that my stream of consciousness questions/drawings bring me so much joy and expansiveness. and you are a part of that!
this morning, i have been doing mundane things and in the midst, having an extraordinary conversation with mwb and now you.
to start with, i am glad i am not alone (or maybe due to mwb's words, i am connecting with a portion of your aloneness), in regard to dreaming. i sometimes, dream i am awake and so it feels like being in two worlds.....as well as dreaming i am dreaming i am awake and yet dreaming. gosh.....what a sentence!
your words......you could not see the being but "envisioned him".......so, if i cannot see my mind or am invisible to me, can i envision me? and hear the flutter of my own heart beating...perfect in its imperfection?
and yes......the impact of never seeing ourselves....yet do we ever see ourselves?
is that not one of life's quests......to see ourselves discover our own visibility?
and what happens when we think it is visible?
can i hold that collective mind in my hands, gently, and feel at home in my aloneness?
This is one of the great questions of philosophy. We receive our information of the world from our senses after interpeted by our minds, so it's really a twice removed process. What is worse (?) the part that is doing the interpeting, the "I", is not directly visible or even knowable by us. It's a chinese room. We put in our questions in code (chinese) and we receive our answers back also in the same code (chinese), what we cannot know is who or what is in the room. So in a sense we are always invisible to ourselves yet we are constantly painting pictures of ourselves.
Perhaps dreams are a peak into the room. Or maybe another picture. Philospher's debate.
Doing mundane things can be fun.
Never eat fortune cookies in bed.
Don't have sex in a chinese restuarant.
Lazarus Lupin
well, there is the art of the mundane.
so the "i" you refer to l.l., experiences aloneness; are there moments when it connects with the aloneness in the the questioner......?
if i am "constantly painting a picture" of myself, does that mean i am self-taught?
invisible~unable to be seen. Oxford dictionary 2005
so...if I were invisible I would not be able to see myself, physically.
seeing through the eyes is one thing, seeing through the third eye is another.
But seeing is seeing whether it be physically, psychically, mentally or spiritually. If we're are talking spirit then, spirit is and has always been. no beginning no end. Spirit is. therefore not invisible
I think invisibility only affects the physical form because it is a temporary existence. :)
so spirit, although not visible, is not invisible but only because "invisible" pertains to the physical.....very interesting....paradoxical?
thank you for the definition, hope.
if i hide from you, then i am invisible since i am "unable to be seen" although, if you had a different vantage point, you just might be able to see me.
I love these items you post !!
i think that you couldnt … but that better so all the prejudice about the looks will be gone and i think that those are mor important to ourselves than to the others.
I think so on both counts the i has to connect on some level with everything else otherwise it wouldn't know anything at all. It doesn't have to be a perfect connection though. A movie is 24 frames of single photos shown a second. Yet this fleeting connection with each picture for so short we aren't even consciously aware of that connection form a larger seemingly flowing connection to the whole.
Connection, space, time, perception. all strange things together. An ice cube has more heat than a candle flame, but what will burn you first?
Lazarus Lupin
http://strangespanner.blogspot.com/
art and review
l.l, you bring up something i have been considering for a few weeks.....
the other day, i wanted to watch a dvd on my tv but the player would constantly stick so i gave up and watched it on the computer.
i fast fowarded the film to the place i wanted to return to viewing. in so doing, i discovered how slowly "fast forward" can happen. the point...i really am getting to it.....was that i saw how the film was shot. what had seemed so continuous, so congruent was actually just what you said..... in slow motion, it looked like a choppy conglomeration of disparate scenes.
i discovered that when filming, few scenes linger for more than a few frames. yet, i expect a film to flow and that is how it becomes visible to me.
again, as you said, for me to know anything at all, i had to connect on some level, agree with assumptions, etc.
on a side note, when i think about synchronicity in this context....i am not sure how to wrap myself around it.
as for the ice cube and the flame.....will it take longer for my assumptions to tell me that ice can burn, too.....? and therefore, i will feel the flame first?
Anne~ Exactly! Just because you can't be seen doesn't mean you are not here or there. eg. someone who has passed away. If we are to believe that the spirit who lives forever does in fact exist then we can be sure that the person who is passed on can indeed see himself/herself. even though we cannot see him/her doesn't mean that that person does not exist anymore. And when we refer to being visible or invisible once again, we are talking about the physical form. :)
I love this by the way. It is certainly making me think! thank you so much!
it is making me think, too!
this blog enriches my life.......
the blog not only enriches your life but ours too..
you talked about the fire and ice right...
I believe when you don't realize the potential of the ice burning into flames, I guess you haven't truly seen the abilities of the ice, and thus you have to know the ice a little bit longer to understand that it can burst to flames..
the moment you are mouthing the words ice of flame, I believe you are feeling a sensation be it cold or warmth respectively, whatever the emotion that is associated with the word will grip through you, so when you say flame or ice you feel these elements first and maybe then "notice" them..
well in the case of ice cube and candle flame is the difference between heat and temp. Heat is measured with mass as one of the constants. An ice cube has much more mass than candle flame so it actually has more heat there. But that heat is locked into that very mass whereas the candle flame is free to radiate out which we measure as its temp. Though the ice cube is more, it is less because it is connecting with us less. The flame is eager to spread, radiate, connect and OUCH.
Not all close encounters are good ones, but all are learning experiences.
As a side note i've seen pictures of a very brave stupid scientist thrusting his hand into liquid nitrogen. If you do it very very very VERY fast it leads to no damage.
Lazarus lupin
http://strangespanner.blogspot.com/
art and review
i'd rather use my hand to hold a pen so that i might draw myself onto the page.......often, without expectations of seeing myself.
so the saying that "less is more" applies to flames and ice cubes.....i am curious about the flame radiating out and burning while the ice cube is self contained. but if i touch the ice cube, i could stick to it and never get free.....until i light a match, create a flame and melt it......into a river, not a waterfall, of heat no longer imprisoned in itself.
bh....."ice burning into flames"......wow....
I simply loved Lupin's comment..
"Not all close encounters are good ones, but all are learning experiences."
Well so if you get stuck to the ice or burn your finger while embracing the flame, you have learned a lesson either ways..so you have learned their potential as I said, and you have learned the difference and the connections...
if you can melt the ice with the flame..I suggest you apply the ice on your burn..it will soothe the pain..=]
Interconnected
Bleeding Healer
u wont see yourself but for that there is not need to be insivible, right now i feel like i am not myself but somebody´s else so that means i am also not seeing myself!
greets from Mexico.
ah.....i do love interconnections, bh!
and describing learning as being about discovering the connections as well as the differences....that is huge.
embracing the flame, burning with light, or turning to ice and reflecting the light like a piece of quartz on a sunlit day.
if i had to choose......i don't really want to be consumed by the light. nor do i wish to be frozen, immobilized....hmm.......
z.....you have an ironic point......it is not necessary to be invisible in order to not see myself....i can just see me as someone other than i am.
greetings to you in mexico!
"embracing the flame, burning with light, or turning to ice and reflecting the light like a piece of quartz on a sunlit day."
this is beautiful what you just said..
may be you should be in the middle, where light falls on you as well as the solidity of the ice reminds you of strength and coolness of nature..think about it..
Bleeding Healer
thanks......
yes, the middle......receiving the light.....connecting with nature.......thank you for the images, my friend....
you are the creator i am just a follower..=]
though it would have been nice to know you in person,how amazing that would be.like not knowing you as anne artist..but as anne.=]
anyways i will feel contented with the questions and sketches and comments..=]
Bleeding Healer
Yeah....ice gives us a cool feeling and in the end ....cooling feeling gives us the exact feeling of that as burning feeling ....and it goes back to the question of invisible....if you were invisible, why is there a need to be see ....even to see yourself ...coudln't it be nicer if we fuse ourselves together, regardless of being visible nor invisible ....but being cool with each other ,thus hot with each other ....:)
I really enjoy your pictures. They take me back to more innocent times, and find in me a level of comfort, like a soft blanket. I post my art and writing as well. If you get a chance please check out arentweart.blogspot.com. We have a similar style of finding beauty in the simple things. Thank you for sharing your work.
bh. i would agree that there is a contentment that is born of the dialog...
perhaps, i am an imaginary friend...
or, i am invisible so that i can be seen more clearly.
and the same for you.
bh. i would agree that there is a contentment that is born of the dialog...
perhaps, i am an imaginary friend...
or, i am invisible so that i can be seen more clearly.
and the same for you.
s.a., yours is an engaging question......if i were invisible, would i need to be seen......
is your "fusion" concept is about being both visible and invisible rather than either/or?
Is about being both together ....maybe certain things when is close to our hearts ....we need to let know and be known ....then we become visible ....if not being invisible may not be a bad idea....being creditable is more important then being recognize ....fusion is the combination of both invisible and visible forces around ....forces as in human power and that of natural ....my a dollar worth of thoughts :)
you know i have always thought about that as a child and even now to adulthood that question still hunts me - so i really don't know
may be!
s.a......how to put a price tag on what is priceless......
you have raised another issue....when i am passionate about something, does that lead me to visibility? it seems that when i am doing something that is "following my bliss" as joseph campbell used to say, then i feel more like i am expressing who i really am. and then i wonder, do we ever think about visibility then......we are so enjoying bringing forth that which we most love to see brought to life.
paradoxically, this blog is, for me, following my bliss. within it, "i" am invisible yet the "me" who questions and is abstract and who reaches out in order to collaborate.....that "me" is expressed through the lines of the drawings and words on the screen.
yes I believe so too whenever you are following your bliss, I think you are putting yourself out in the world,so that they can see what you have to share with them consciously or unconsciously,as you said this blog is your creation, however you (I) might seem invisible but the various parts of that me is present in your posts, it's like you are speaking to us through your posts, and these posts might be reflections of you...
thus can you be invisible I don't think so..because someone is noticing you, even though you "think" you are invisible you might not be to others..
Love the different reflections..
Bleeding Healer
thank you, bh.
and you have raised a new point.....that visibility can be reflected rather than "seen" directly.....
Indeed =]
It would be nice to know more about you,would you never write posts pertaining to your life?
Bleeding Healer
ok, bh, you have inspired me to deviate from my norm. on sunday......no drum roll necessary....i will post something about my life. and it just might be that the drawing will be in color, too.......
and then, i shall return to anne artist as i know her.......
Oh Anne Artist,
I am so glad you were born.
hi, anne!
May I use your questions for my language class? They are very interesting. I hope my students can think outside the box when they answer these questions.
Thanks.
Diliana
thank you! it's been the experience of a lifetime.....
your comment is timely since i have a birthday coming up soon. am hard at work developing wishes......
:., i am very curious about your idea of using the questions in your language class. it could be like a "beta" test!
i would like for you to go ahead with this...and i ask that you tell me more about your class. is there a way your class could interact on this blog?
Yikes. Good question. I guess you
'd have to get way better at putting a bra on?
the title represents exactly the picture, or the picture represents exactly the title? whatever, it's very very good
My own question: If you had a special inner self hiding inside you and now you're invisible, will you be able to see your inner self inside?
ac, if i look only at my special inside self, would i become invisible?
Hi, anne!
These students of mine are technical students. They normally look at the world with data and figure. So, I would like to use these questions to see how they actually define this world they're living in.
I will suggest your blog to them.
i am liking how you approach teaching! please keep me posted!
I don't think that you could see yourself because you are invisible to the world, there are no exceptions for you to see your self unless you were the one who made yourself invisible... :L
and how could i make myself invisible?
Post a Comment