| I'll admit that I used to be jealous of my | | | | or group identification.There is enormous |
| compadres who were minorities in my BFA | | | | associative power in group |
| Creative Writing program. The rest of us were | | | | identification--that is why we are constantly |
| just crusty white kids with no rhythm.So, I | | | | being told to choose, in the moment, which |
| used to be a little jealous of the amount of | | | | social group we define ourselves as--black, |
| anger material these minority writers had | | | | white, gay, christian, conservative, liberal, |
| access to. There is a lot of inspiration in | | | | rich, poor, etc. There is a certain amount of |
| one's cultural identity but if that | | | | creative inspiration to be derived from one's |
| inspiration doesn't allow the artist to | | | | social group, but if you examine this |
| create works that break past the illusory | | | | inspiration closely you will see that the |
| bonds of time and space to that oneness that | | | | majority of art that comes from this source |
| unites us all then the art won't last and | | | | is usually so infused with the anger that |
| won't have quite the impact the artist hopes | | | | comes from the tallying of group suffering |
| it will. In fact, here is a definition of | | | | that it has no breakthrough into the |
| good art you can copy paste into your | | | | transcendent mystery which lies beyond time, |
| brilliant quotes file. This one comes from | | | | space and our petty egos (which only last as |
| yours' truly, Uncle Josh:"Art (with a capital | | | | long as we draw breath; the spirit is eternal |
| A) is all about using the contemporary forms | | | | and therefore incorruptible or haven't you |
| of time and space (people, objects and their | | | | got that memo yet?).So, while minorities may |
| relationships) to blow apart the phenomenal | | | | have a lot of inspiration to draw from that |
| differences that keep us each locked into | | | | produces some great Saturday Night Live and |
| what appears to be an inescapable prison (our | | | | Dave Chappelle skits, most of these are |
| own egos which are composed of our experience | | | | without any true breakthrough; they are |
| and emotional and intellectual reactions to | | | | improper art, using the artistic aesthetics |
| the present moment, from which we project the | | | | put forth by James Joyce in A Portrait of the |
| future)."But it is in this projection of the | | | | Artist as a Young Man.In-group anger can only |
| future where humanity's greatest certain | | | | take an artist as far as they are willing to |
| unalienable right exists--the right of the | | | | ultimately let it go completely. Only by |
| choice about how to act this moment. It is | | | | willingly letting go of our social identify |
| freedom of choice about how to act in the | | | | and, ultimately, our individual identities in |
| moment (in other words, creating their | | | | the moment, can we touch the true source of |
| reality in the moment through sheer will) | | | | inspiration which lies inside each of us like |
| that allowed people overcome atrocities like | | | | a platinum encased diamond nugget at the |
| The Holocaust where every bit of security | | | | centers of our being.In fact, this is the |
| involved in associating through one's | | | | exact message that I wrote about in my short |
| cultural identity was removed completely and | | | | story Pyrite ( spent a lot of my late teens |
| the individual was reduced to a scrounging | | | | and early twenties being angry for other |
| animal. This is the point where survival of | | | | groups of people because my group identity |
| the fittest and preservation of self becomes | | | | (middle class white kid in a sea of other |
| king and the social morays simply drop away | | | | middle class white kids) was the system of |
| like burning paper mache.I have studied The | | | | oppression and the source of much of their |
| Holocaust passionately now for sixteen years. | | | | anger. But I'm through being angry and I'm |
| I completed course upon course in college and | | | | through defining myself with abstract |
| have read book upon book about those twenty | | | | concepts; I'll leave that to the hacks and |
| years in Germany that saw Hitler's rise to | | | | has-beens. I'm going to do my best to teach |
| power and a decimation of a culture almost as | | | | this concept of artistic aesthetics to other |
| old as humanity's recorded existence.I have | | | | talented artists so that they too may find |
| long asked why when thinking about the | | | | that thorny and weeded path inside themselves |
| Holocaust. This is a very hard question | | | | that will take them to the platinum crusted |
| because you are essentially asking for a sum | | | | diamond that waits for them within.Joshua |
| value of millions of peoples' lives in terms | | | | Minton is President of an Internet publishing |
| of a historical lesson (and what historical | | | | and business consulting corporation, Family |
| lesson could be worth the lives of over 150 | | | | Bliss Enterprises, Inc. He is also author of |
| million who died in a World War which was the | | | | two novels, several short stories, poems and |
| direct result of one man and his dream team | | | | articles on art, philosophy, politics, |
| of terror?).But here is my why from The | | | | sociology, science, popular culture, |
| Holocaust--individual freedom emerged intact | | | | business, health insurance administration, |
| despite the fact that untold masses of | | | | internet marketing, blogging and personal |
| individuals were murdered and had their most | | | | success. |
| sacred identities taken away--their cultural | | | | |