Are you an Artist? Read this...
painters, poets, potters and everyone in between
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Artists create things. Sometimes to earn their living, other times as a personal passion. Some do it for personal expression, to stay sane, to relieve stress, to pass the time, or simply to forget themselves in the creative process for a while.
They paint, weave, or write, make music, dance, shape pinch pots out of clay, focus the lens of their camera, or carve wood into figures.
Often, like it or not, the ego is involved (in a bad way). There is an unhealthy attachment, an identification even, that many make with their art. If the art is “bad,” then they are “bad,” or at least they “feel bad.” If the art is criticized, they feel attacked.
Next Level Artists
Next-level artists have moved beyond this because they have become aware that they are actually mytho-poetic artists.
The Artist Archetype is complex because it overlaps so many other archetypes and draws from them certain qualities, actions, and unfolding patterns. We could say the artist is an alchemist because they take base raw materials, prima materia, and, through a multi-phase process, turn them into something greater, something ennobling and spiritually uplifting, even life-giving for both the artist and the viewer.
We might also see the artist as a magician, one who takes nature, natural elements, or matter and imposes their will upon it to turn them into something else, manifesting a work of art.
The artist may also be the prophet or oracle discerning and sharing a message through their words or images that may be a warning, a vision of the future, or a sage interpretation of the past.
The artist may function as the High Priestess, initiating viewers of their art or readers of their words into certain knowledge or experiences that help them progress to higher levels of spiritual understanding.
The overlaps go on and allow us to see what a potent archetype the artist is.
Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols ~ Alan Moore
Who or what is the mytho-poetic artist?
The mytho-poetic artist has moved out of ego consciousness (or self-consciousness) regarding their work and found that they, and their work, are a channel for greater, deeper, higher meanings of truth, beauty and goodness to be communicated to the world. While this may sound like ego inflation, it actually requires a humble stance and understanding.
The artist is now in service to the Muse and works cooperatively with the great Creative Force in the Universe as a partner and conduit, making fractals of Ultimate Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, which the artist is now commissioned to draw out of the ideal realms and into the ordinary realms of time and space.
You may be thinking, “Well, that’s fine for the creation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but I’m just…fill in your art-making of choice.” But I have found that’s not true.
The mytho-poetic artist, whatever their creative endeavors, professional, personal, highly skilled, or amateur, can engage with the higher things.
Mytho-poetic artists engage with myth, mythic themes, re-tellings, new imaginings, and all manner of stories that embed themselves into their work. Those may be obvious in the imagery or language or hidden in the intentions of the artist at the outset and during the creation of the work. The work and the process of making/creating may itself be the mythic aspect of the work, and the product, an ordinary albeit beautiful pot or painting, keeps secret the mythic journey of the artist during the creative process.
Artists and makers of all sorts are often caught up in the compare-and-contrast mindset, forever unsettled and fearful that their creative endeavors and products don’t measure up to what other artists and makers are creating. Freedom of expression, purpose and meaning is sacrificed in order to create work that “fits in” to others' preexisting standards and requirements.
Being an artist is often isolating. It is not uncommon for an artist to have no one in their immediate circle whom they can talk to about their art and creative process. This is especially true if you have come to understand that you are indeed a mytho-poetic artist creating from an archetypal place and working in service to the Muse.
I know there are many of you in the Hedge Mystic Community who create wonderful things. What is your experience with finding a higher purpose and meaning in what you do? Do you feel a sense of isolation? Are you too entangled with your creations? Being an artist is a complex thing; share your stories, and let’s get a dialog going to support one another.
One of the ways I am offering tangible support to fellow artists is through a new hybrid personal and group coaching program called The Mytho-Poetic Artist.
This will be beyond what some of you are ready for. However, it will be exactly what a few of you are looking for and ready to invest in right now.
I will only be accepting four artists who already have an active and ongoing creative practice. There will be personal coaching as well as community time with the other artists to exchange experiences and insights.
Our journey together begins February 1st.
If you’re intrigued by working personally with me and being part of a small, select group of kindred spirits and like-minded artists, click on the graphic below to access all of the details.
The comments section is a safe and welcoming space to share your insights and experiences.
Comments and conversation are always appreciated and enjoyed, so feel free to let your voice be heard. I read them all and try to respond to each one.
Thank you for reading Hedge Mystic and participating in this vibrant and growing community of creative, spiritual humans. You are always welcome here, appreciated, and loved.
My art is writing ✍️ and I let it flow in and I write it out. It’s a gift from the Universe and I’m honored to be the chosen vessel of it. I think we all have an art that will flow through us if we’re open to nurturing it.
I’m a visual artist and do a lot of intuitive work, meaning that I don’t always know what will come to me until it comes. I may or may not understand its message right away. Sometimes it may be months or even a year/ years down the road when I look at it again and that moment of understanding comes to me. I think the fascinating thing about doing intuitive works is that it brings different messages to it’s viewers depending on where they are in their journey.
I also do nature art and journaling. This is different from my intuitive creations and is meant to educate the viewer and encourage a love and appreciation for Nature. I teach Nature Journaling classes to Master Naturalist students and small workshops whenever I can. I always maintain that when you love something you want to protect it. That’s my hope as a teacher and master naturalist. I love and respect each aspect of Nature that comes onto my artist papers. It seems that sometimes they are waiting for me to bring them to the forefront.
Being an artist isn’t so much what I do but who I am.