The Rising Artist February 2015 | Page 2

Letter The Rising Artist Magazine Published by: Brewer23-Stock The Rising Artist Magazine is published by Squeaky Eye Productions. Copyright 2015 Squeaky Eye From the Editor The other day, Zach and I had a philosophical conversation about difficult moments in life. Zach, having studied some of Friedrich Nietzsche’s work, explained to me that we should find happiness in chaos. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.” Nietzsche suggests that finding contentment or happiness in chaos (or thoughtfully experiencing chaos) drives us to better understand ourselves and what life has to offer. As his quote suggests, chaos can give birth to new ideas, new creations, or dancing stars. I find that the stress in my life often gets the better of me. I let the chaos of my life take over and I often get lost in the swirl of anxiety. Zach reminded me that, in those moments of chaos, I should stop and take stock of how that chaos is influencing me. Instead of getting lost in the swirl, I should examine how something positive can come out of those moments, or learn something quite valuable about myself and my world. Productions. All rights reserved. No portion of the magazine may be reproduced in part or in full by any means without the express permission of the publisher. Squeaky Much of what I have painted so far has been recreations of what I see. As I am a new painter, I am fixed on trying to recreate the scene, speck by speck, detail for detail. This has led me to overwork my canvas, and subsequently, has led to many trips to the trash. I have heard several new artists express a similar frustration. I wonder if we can use Nietzsche’s philosophy to break out of this frustration. Eye Productions assumes no responsibility for loss, damage, or other injury. For further information, you can contact Using Nietzsche’s idea of letting chaos give birth to a dancing star, I’ve come up with a few mental techniques I want to employ when I paint. Here’s my list: 1. Before painting, take a few minutes of silence to take stock of my mood and my the following: 2. Be mindful of how I might capture that mood into my painting Zach McNair - Managing Editor and Director of Digital Media [email protected] Cindy Stewart - Co-founder and 3. Use the chaos in my surroundings or in my heart to influence what I create—be in the surrounding moment--allow the chaos, anxiety, stress , or, on the flip side, the peace or contentment I feel, to flow through from my brain, to my heart, to my paintbrush, and then finally onto my canvas.that swirls in my head and heart. Contributing Editor [email protected] 4. Allow the paint to dance upon the surface of my canvas. Let the paintbrush be a conduit of all that swirls in my head and heart. You can also visit us on the Web: http://TheRisingArtist.com 5. Be mindful, be present, be respectful of, and happy for, chaos. Facebook facebook.com/therisingartistmagazine Twitter: @RisingArtMag I will employ these ideas in my next painting. We’ll see what comes of all that is swirling in my head and heart! In the next issue, I will share what came from this philosophical exercise. It will most certainly be interesting! LinkedIn: linkedin.com/the-rising-artist-magazine Until then, I hope you enjoy the February issue and the stories we have to tell. -Cindy 2