Images – the impact
After watching Lynda Barry’s videos, the notion of what ‘image’ is, kept lingering in my mind. Come to think of it, it’s so interesting that not an object or person in itself has meaning until you project a certain image on to it. We give something meaning by an imaging process within. That’s why something can have different meanings for everybody.
– click here for bigger version –
Which makes me wonder…what if you don’t like something? You may just have chosen an image for that something that you don’t like. You’ve given that something a less than pleasant meaning. Would it be possible to actively choose another image for that something?
It may be related to positive thinking, neuro linguistic programming. But I think it’s more profound. I think that as soon as you start “working” on your attitude by the use of language, some of the meaning gets lost on the translation from essence to text or spoken language. What if we would work with images? What if we try to alter the image we have chosen for a certain something by the use of images. A bit confusing, maybe, but I have often found that I can only tell my whole story with the use of both language and image. I have often found that language alone didn’t do the trick. By making art, I feel I can capture the essence of what I’m saying, the meaning of something, much more accurately. Could we then in turn alter our image of something by working with altering images? So, can we – by making art – alter the meaning something has for us? Profoundly.
After all, it’s what many psychologists and positive thinking techniques do with visualisations. By letting create someone an image in their minds, they can help alter their way of thinking. Could making art do the same? It won’t change things, but it might change the way we see things and the meaning things have for us. Just think about it. At whatever level your skills are, making art would then become a very powerful tool in your personal growth, in how you live your life.