The Core of Art

“Artistic skill, therefore, does not mean artistic perfection. It remains rather a continuing medium or reflection of some step in psychic development, the perfection of which is not to be found in shape and form, but must radiate from the human soul. The artistic activity does not consist in art itself as such; it penetrates into a deeper world in which all art forms of things inwardly experienced flow together, and in which the harmony of soul and cosmos in the nothing has its outcome in reality”.

— Bruce Lee

The “Art of Pen and Sword” workshop I’m developing simply examines artistic expression in two different arenas, specifically martial and literary arts, and asks you to find the similarities, the common root. Most artists have open hearts and minds, but fail to root in their bodies. Do this, and you will never understand why you are averse to marketing your work, why an open heart leads to pain, or why your theories of life, love, and happiness fail to bring you closer to joy.

“Master one thing, master ten thousand things” Musashi said.

Yesterday I was with Tim, a guy who is further down the path than I. No question. And he was giving a talk in Beverly Hills to an accomplished group called “The Mastery Circle.” One of the pieces of his was about the “ten thousand hours” rule, basically an observation that the typical “master” or highly accomplished person had invested a minimum of ten thousand hours in practice of their discipline.