Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fear is the Mind Killer

I have been incubating on a new project for a while and I finally have gotten a chance to get down to the workroom to start it. It stems out from an idea while I was making some of the bird house shrines. 


The initial idea behind the whole bird house is that it was a physical place to store emotion and feelings. I would take bits and pieces of things that have resonance and meaning; like scraps of fabric, feathers, bits of photographs, and lines of text, and put them inside the birdhouse, before I sealed up the hole.  The bird house is transformed into a vessel to hold the emotion.  With the bird houses, this idea just came to me intuitively. Since then, I have been doing some research into Victorian Memory Vessels. I have decide to work on two large pieces that further this concept. This time however, I am being much more intentional about the work. The pieces are going to be interactive. It relies on feedback from you to be created. 


The first piece is about FEAR


Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. It is part of our core, basic emotions.  We all have fears, and the range of things that frighten us is astounding. 


Sometimes when you create ART, you are forced to face certain fears. Facing those emotions can be extremely difficult, but the result is almost always one that reaps greater benefit than loss. 


My first steps in making this piece is to identify what people are really afraid of.


Some of the most common fears are of: ghosts, evil powers, bugs, snakesheightswaterenclosed spacesbridgesneedlessocial rejectionfailureexaminations public speakingflying, heights, clownsintimacydeath, and success.


I am definitely afraid of some of those things. 


I'm asking all you brave souls to leave me a comment about what your greatest FEAR is.


Since all my comments are moderated, you can definitely remain anonymous. Just leave me a little note in you comment and i won't post to the blog.  All the "FEARS" that I collect will go into the vessel that I am creating, as well as help me to construct the outer shell of the piece.


Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to receiving your comments.








The Litany Against Fear


I must not fear.Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.[2]

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is very timely for me because right now I am--as I have been for weeks--avoiding dealing with taxes and finances and IRS forms. I bought a retail business over the summer and am now responsible for all kinds of money stuff that has always made me anxious. Is it fear of failure? Of incompetence? Fear of success even? Fear of standing on my own instead of being dependent?
I could hire a bookkeeper to do nearly all of this frightening stuff but I know I need to face these fears and establish my competence before I hand it over to anyone else to do.
Thanks for the opportunity to vent. I am going to close FB now and take another stab at the work I need to be doing.

Anonymous said...

One of my greatest fears is of being subjected to a violent sexual crime. The intense violation of the privacy and safety that one takes for granted. I train my mind by watching movies and dealing with scenarios that deal with this issue. The more I get a handle on the killer, the less the killer has me...

DM said...

"That any harm should come to my son."

Only now do I know what Lady Jessica was going through.

starrynightimpressions said...

Public speaking is probably one of my most frightening! I just can't seem to do it! Everyones eyes looking at me, me thinking I have to be witty or entertaining enough to make them like me, brings me extreme anxiety! Why do some people just get up and freely talk and not bling an eye?
starrydeborah

Anonymous said...

Of never really knowing who I am.

Donna said...

Great poem! My fear.....sharks. Demons. Not fulfilling the gifts that God gave me to share with others. :))