3/18

i have been thinking a lot about stories, the stories we create to make the world make sense. it's a major aspect of religion: the creation myths, the redemption myths, the devastation myths and, on another level it is what art is. some of the stories get told, some are listened to and some are seen. but whether the discipline is literature, music or visual arts, at some point, someone had a story to tell and what they bring into the world for us to experience is the result.

in finishing these paintings, i am revisiting the stories i told myself while i was making them, while they were emerging. it's another reason why i need to be a bit insular right now, to focus, to not have too many outside influences, to not let anyone else's version interfere with my own. in order for these to be successful on any level it requires getting as close to my truth as i can. only then will they stand the chance of having the resonance of myth, the semblance of archetype.

but out in the real world, being too invested in one's own stories can be dangerous; there is too great a tendency to clash up against someone else's version and that's what leads to conflict and that's what leads to war.