Chocolate and Flowers


You might think of red roses and chocolate boxes at the sound of the word Romantic. That's a fair image and one that society is given by adverts and marketing nearly all year around. However, it's much more than this, and definitely more than a soft and soppy way of showing your love to someone. The word became used to describe a sensibility during the 18th Century. Romance originally simply meant of Rome. However we rarely think of glorious city when he hear it these days. What does it actually mean though? Why chocolates and flowers?


Evolution of Culture


A gradual process of cultural standardisation began during the Classical era. This predates romanticism and is governed by a rigid set of rules based on theology and feudal tradition. A process of making everything uniform across wide communities took place as various technologies made it easier to do. Printing presses, measuring devices, clocks, and all manner of other inventions began setting standards and uniformity around the world. The way we organise our lives and the things we think we all made to fit a set of rules defined by those with the power to enforce them either culturally or legally. This time-period came to a close as the process of standardisation reached its pinnacle at the time of the Enlightenment. Thinkers such as Newton and Descartes defined the world in mechanistic and predictable terms. The usefulness of God was taken away from many of the universal processes we assumed were under divine control. Everything became mechanical and devoid of inner paradox.


The Art Form


A pushback to this manner of thinking emerged in the form of Romanticism. The total linguistic mechanisation of life and its processes left a gaping hole in the way we see ourselves and the world we are in. People wanted symbols and signs, metaphors and mind puzzles that helped them identify with something greater than themselves. In a way, the Classical era put out the flames of magic and mystery and the Enlightenment was their mission accomplished. We do need to realise the usefulness of scientific enquiry but many people didn't want to let go of that mystical part of human nature. This is where art came forward with the solution. When it's administered to art, magic and mystery, symbolism and metaphor all serve as tools and devices that offer personal insights separately to individuals. Wisdom and intuition, folklore and spirituality could be placed within the artistic and make-believe world of art for people to enjoy and assimilate in their own time and way.


Why Now?


The digital age has brought so many marvellous benefits. Digital pioneers have really demonstrated the power of computing and the extent at which these binary devices can be instructed to help us progress. There is one huge difference in the way we think and the way computers think. Although modern neural networks are capable of having independent thoughts based on active learning, they are always matter of fact. Much like the Newton of the cosmos, a computer sees the world in a very specific way. In order to communicate with computers, we too need to think like they do. We're nearly all brought up with some kind of computer these days and so we all learn how to communicate with these devices using precise and accurate controls. Programmers and coders will know that one false instruction can and does ruin the entire output, and getting things exactly as they should be is paramount.


You can't ask a computer to make metaphorical comparisons unless it has a list of them and their proper use. There is no imagination and no non-linear, abstract quality to the way machines think and follow instructions. Everything is done by procedure and process. Humans are not built this way. Our minds do crave order and process but they also crave richness, diversity, and occulted wisdom. We love to see big pictures that we can't describe as well as look to the little things for their unique detail. The modern digital age has given us the idea that facts must be accurate and information true. This can be great for making the right choices but when it comes to a fulfilling experience of life, we need more. In order to counter-balance the influence that digital machines have on our lives, investing in our ability to imagine, speak in symbols, and express passion without being rationally interrogated is something is going to be essential for our continued growth as a global society.

A new feature for Alternative Fruit, a selection of digital art pieces from the editor Rowan B. Colver. Writing about other people's art is always good but where is my own? Never previously published elsewhere, Crystals of Consciousness are photomanipulations made from a single image which has been digitally altered again and again to produce a series of seven unique and abstract pieces. Without further ado, Alternative Fruit presents: Crystals of Consciousness. Take your time and enjoy each image for as long as you wish.
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​Thank you for getting to the end, if you like these images then please share them and link to this page. If you want to have your own images put on Alternative Fruit then use the email link on the menu and get in touch!

Welcome To The Jungle


No matter how civilised we manage to be, how enlightened and conscious, we still have animal drives that govern our behaviour. The social wilderness is a potentially dangerous place with our popularity and reputation being at risk with each word said. We can sometimes adopt survival mechanisms in order to cope with this situation, especially in the way we think. Social camouflage helps us to fit in and find social interaction easier. If we agree with people or at least not challenge them on what they say, we stand a better chance of remaining part of the social circle. The way we behave can also create risk. People who hang around together not only say similar things but they act in similar ways as well. By establishing group behaviours, personality traits can be validated. This can have both positive and negative outcomes. So as social people who enjoy the company of others we can find our authenticity comes into question. Sometimes we don't even think about it and assume we're on the right side. If we enjoy being around people who say and think particular things, we naturally mirror that psychological gratification which ultimately prevents us from thinking for ourselves.


What Does Authenticity Mean?


In the most general terms, authenticity means you keep it real. This is easier said than done, as we all know how hard it an be to admit feelings or desires to other people. We don't want to change the way things are in case it gets worse. Valuing a situation means we don't want to risk losing it, so we sometimes keep our mouth shut or even smile and nod when we don't really want to.

• Be truthful. When people ask about how you feel, you need to have the courage to tell the truth. It's okay to blunt the sharp edges or even take the storm out of the teacup but you have to serve the tea and give them the spoon. The unauthentic thing is to lie, so it's better to say that you'd rather not say if it comes to it.
• Know what you're good at. Don't be afraid to shine, you have been given a gift in your talents and you've worked hard to attain your skills. These are your tools for the best possible life so make use of them in every way you can. Dimming your shine to make others comfortable usually means you're with the wrong people.
• Know how you feel. We often ignore our feelings because they don't compliment our behaviour. This is where we lose authenticity because our feelings are a genuine response to the world from our body. Our body is the result of billions of years of perfecting and improvement. It's mad to ignore that.
  
  
  

What Is The Function Of Art


Art can represent things in ways we did not expect. Art can say something loud and clear without the use of words. Art can translate unknown feelings into a language we can empathise with. Art makes us think. Art is a language all on its own. A piece of art is a representation of thought and feeling for us to digest. The way we will understand it depends on our own perception and interpretation. Cognition is the process of perception from the mind's point of view and it involves several key processes. Art can identify with and make a statement to any of the following aspects of cognition:


Preception


This initial psychological response is a first impression. Before we even look properly, something will hit us immediately. This can define the rest of our experience without us ever noticing. The stand-out elements of a piece of art, or the first few lines of a piece of music, will establish a preception element that parallels the rest.


Judgement


We know right and wrong from our own perspective and if we're lucky, from the perspective of others too. We also know if something is good or bad from our perspective, which can be something else entirely. This is a much more personalised feeling and we don't really have the ability to determine this for others without their say so. Judgement is how we decide what to do with the given information. We assign tags to the input so we know how to move forward.


Reasoning


Once we have been given the information and we have determined if it is right or wrong and good or bad, we can begin to assimilate it into a rational process. We have mental tools at our disposal to help us reason with given information. Balancing the good and bad with the right and wrong can give us a straight line through the picture that points to our considered response.


Learning


Before we can think of what to say or feel, we often discover something new within the given information. Either new facts or new perspectives, something unknown becomes illuminated due to thinking about the information we are given. Even in the case of pure fiction, the human or anthropomorphic situation can be emulated in real life along various lines.


Consideration


Like reasoning, we once again think about what we are given. The difference with reasoning and  consideration is that in the later we fit the information in with other things that are so far separate. We determine the things we have seen, learned, and thought about in regards to the wider world. Sometimes art is only enjoyable in its own safe space, outside of the world. Other times it wants to fit in and make real-world changes. We have to make a choice as to what it wants us to do and if we should do it.


Remembering


We don't remember the whole thing but mostly the pieces that stick out. We recall what moved us, what altered our state of being. Imagine a flat road with a fallen tree. You remember the tree because it got in the way, the miles of flat road were not challenging so you have nothing to remember about it other than you travelled it. Maybe you saw a few interesting things on the way, individual and personally placed things that serve purpose. Those are what seem to take up the attention, especially for passengers.

Before the conquest of the Indian peninsular by the British Empire in the 18th Century, Dhaka in what is now known as Bangladesh was famous around the known world for its incredibly fine muslin. Fabled for turning transparent when wet, sudden rain showers were something to watch out for when wearing this designer and sought-after fabric. Mismanagement and failure to cultivate local traditions meant that the British colonists allowed the Dhaka muslin trade to fall into disrepair and eventually stop altogether. The specific cotton plant needed to spin the thread was feared extinct, and the spinning wheels required especially nimble fingers. Machinery just didn't have the ability to manufacture such delicate cloth.


Once worn by Marie Antoinette, as shown in various paintings of the French Queen, and famously worn by Jane Austen, a few of the historical garments had survived in collections. The Victoria and Albert Museum has a large collection of clothing and were able to isolate known samples of the famous and rare Dhaka muslin. A genetic sequencing gave botanists the identification they needed to rediscover any surviving strains of this extremely rare and forgotten cotton plant.


It was time to go into the field and search for the illusive flower. Cotton plants grow in several locations however to achieve the correct fabric, absolute precision is required in growing conditions and genetic makeup. Known for historically growing in and around Dhaka, the Bangladeshi river delta provides just the right climate and conditions for the flower to flourish. Various cotton plants were tested for a match, and eventually one was found.


The Phuti Carpus cotton plant was rediscovered growing North of Dhaka by Monzur Hossain, chief botanist in the Dhaka muslin revival project. After comparing the genetics of the fabric and the plant, it was confirmed that this breed of cotton was indeed the lost flower. It has since been cultivated in large scale grows so that the material can once again be put to good use.


Finding people with the skills and willingness to learn to create the hand-spun fabric is a challenge. Although Bangladesh is still famous for its textiles, the majority of work is done with machines that do not require spinning knowledge. Hand pulled looms and manual spinning wheels combined with the world's finest cotton makes a job only certain people can do. A gentle touch and a keen eye for detail plus a lot of patience will undoubtedly make a successful muslin maker.

​Via RFI

Happiness Is Often Just Out Of Reach


Many of us are not happy in life for a number of reasons. We cannot change the amount of problems given to us, only how we approach them. Everyone has a wall to push against, a ladder to climb, snakes to avoid, and a sense of personal integrity to uphold. Being in personal harmony with our given and chosen directions is how we can accept reality and lose the illusion of it being something else. Our minds are like busy high-streets at times, with two-way traffic taking motivations and ideas both toward and away from focus. A continual conveyor of opinion, learned information, reflected emotions, and personal feelings all takes place at once. Selecting the value from this can be time consuming and difficult. Changing the direction of traffic requires a strong mental attitude and, more often than not, a lot of help from others.


Gratitude And Self-Validation


Things could be worse, the help you get could be unavailable, the methods you have for helping yourself might be unattainable. Your problems could be doubled, or someone you care about could have their problems doubled. We need to be aware of the plus side even if we feel negative. If every opportunity to put the stop sign over unhelpful thoughts was taken up, we would be able to gradually train ourselves to think about them differently. Like magical spells, the thoughts zap you and take away your sense of worth, your sense of motivation, your sense of a job well done. They nearly always manifest from a place of selfishness. Ungrateful and self-depreciative opinions, judgements, and half-blind observations can give the impression that you have no right to feel good about yourself. They're the opposite of the thoughts you want to listen to and take on board. If there is ever a time when the hurtful thought is absolutely true, for example you didn't stand up for a person when you should have done, then you can treat it as a natural reaction to the event. Be grateful you have that feeling and that you can work on your interpersonal and assertiveness skills for next time. Don't be pushed over, be pushed into action.


Flow


According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, when happiness correlates to success it is called flow. Most often recognised in activities such as sports, video games, and music as being in the zone, a psychological phenomenon occurs in which we feel completely settled in our skills and technique that all mental opposition to our success fades away. Different to arrogance, it's not a mental collection of self-gratifying ideas, being in the zone or experiencing flow is when your own strength of character and mind combines with your training and skill to produce optimum performance.


Flow can be qualified with certain characteristics. We can detect them in others and in ourselves. Finding a link between them all is the true optimum and yet we rarely achieve this.

• Total focus without distraction
• Locked in on your target with complete understanding of method
• Time slows down in perception and flows faster
• Sense of inner peace while maintaining effort
• A sense of ease despite several factors
• Challenges arise to suit your skills
• Silent mind apart from essential calculation
• A true sense of control over one's domain

Flow is more directly attributed to activities that have an autotelic quality. This means that we do a thing because the thing itself is enjoyable or worthwhile. It's perhaps why we put things off until the last minute, because they become autotelic once we have no choice but to do it. Activities that have a secondary reward or an external reason outside of our own personal gain are not autotelic and these are more difficult to attain flow when undertaking. Flow is also related to neurotic characteristics in a negative way. The more neurotic the personality, the less flow they are likely to achieve. We need to remain focussed and positive as habit and neurosis takes this away from us. A conscientious attitude is the most effective for realising flow, in which we maintain happiness by establishing gratitude and self-validation.


We can nurture our ability to navigate the triangle of happiness, flow, and self-discipline by keeping an active focus on our progress in these areas. By identifying as a person who maintains these things and by spending time around others who do the same, we can help to balance ourselves with the input of our friends and colleagues.  
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