Carnal, Soulish, and Spiritual Forms of Expression


1 Thessalonians 5:23
May your Soul, and Spirit, and Body remain blameless.
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The body holds all the doorways to carnal expression, direct emotional projection that satisfies the body in immediate effect gives rise to our animal, or physical self. We rejoice in our ability to be a part of the physical universe and how it feels. These are gifts to us, to be grateful for, and by remembering this, the expression of the body, of our carnal and primary emotions, is a celebration, and therefore positive expression.


The soul is what we are within, the sum of our experiences and feelings, mixed up in a holographic version of the universe, and we project this as our soul. Art that is full of soul is that which represents the subconscious expression, the symbology and self stories that define what we do with our lives and what our intentions are.


The soul and the flesh in combination can be likened to our will, we can will with the soul against our carnal desires by using physical and mental effort. Perhaps we can't get the person we like to notice us, or we have an addiction, or we are craving something unhealthy to eat. We can say no to ourselves, because we know that what we may want to do is not the right option. Will power is complex, and requires more than just what we know, it requires a continual application of conscious pressure, until we have learned to naturally apply it.


What we have already naturally learned and already apply without conscious effort, is the subconscious element of ourselves which makes the soul. The will comprises the inner knowing and the repeated effort in self teaching, in order to change how we act. Expressing this in art requires thought in how to separate the two but allow them to work together.


Spirit is the element that we do not bring, it is the extra part which flows in through the trust of what we are doing according to our own intuition and instinct, spirit is independent to the work we do but is totally dependent on the way it manifests, the way it is reviewed and the way that the work culminates in learning for the artist. Expressing the spirit of our art requires the use of the soul, as we find we need to rely on our memory of when it was felt. By reliving our moments in which the connection to more than the self was most apparent, when no matter what the universe was doing outside of you that the stillness and peace of self was in full knowledge of something more, we can then express this too.


By trusting in the spirit which guides our art, we have to allow ourselves to go down the roads that the inner intuition says are right. Walk the path of inner peace with your art, express what feels good to express, have faith that this is part of a journey of self, and always keep learning about what you want to achieve. When unifying the entire spectrum of expression, body, soul, and spirit, we can tell the whole human picture that we reflect.


The expression of the human picture adds to the enrichment of the world we live in, and adds to the development of our own knowledge of self, which brings us even closer to the core which the creative rivers flow from. Be grateful for all of it, and tell it to the paper. 

Managing Stress with Heavy Metal and Other Aggressive Art Forms


Feelings of stress and personal tension are nothing out of the ordinary. Anyone who cares about their actions in the world will undoubtedly feel the pressures of responsibility with everything they do. Sometimes, pressures can build up, and if over time they are allowed to become stagnant, and suppressed, we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by them and go on to have negative behaviour patterns.


This phenomena is not unique to one group of people, or one type of person, but we all have the ability to become over stressed which results in finding our daily activities too much to handle. The ways of coping with these are many, but we tend to turn to quick fixes in most cases. Drugs and alcohol seem to be a very popular choice, and within reason and the law, there's no real issue.


Sometimes the narcotic release is not enough, or unwanted. Many of us refuse to intoxicate ourselves and that's a great thing. Although we have great biology that is designed to break down toxins in natural and expected ways, they do take their toll on our physiology all the same. The liver is really efficient in the act of breaking down all those unwanted nasties, but with over work, like us, it can become stressed, and eventually let us down. The same can be said for any of our organs.


So, how else can we manage stress? You may have guessed from the title that I intend to talk about Heavy Metal Music. Angry music provides an empathetic bridge from one mind to another, and this provides a channel for tension to flow. Once our tensions are conscious, and we are releasing endorphins in the process of manifesting them in some kind of output, be it the enjoyment of music, the dancing to, the doing housework to the rhythm of, or even the taking part in the playing of music can be exactly what the body needs.


But what else is there? Music gets aggressive in many genres, I like metal so it's what I call upon in this case. But there's a lot of music which taps into that angry part of us, rap music does it really well, as it's often spoken word which makes the projection a lot more versatile for emotional direction. Metal singers just growl and shout.


Painting can get very aggressive, many abstract works and modern works of art are created in expressive ways rather than technically controlled ones. The artists of today are much more likely to have a temper fit at their canvass and involve paint somehow than delicately plot the exact lines of the object. Of course there are plenty of traditional artists out there too.


So if getting drunk, or getting into fights isn't really what tickles your fancy, then you can always dig out one of those albums and get your aggro on, or if you want, buy some paint and some large sheets, and do the dirty on them in the name of stress management.  

Enjoy this heavy metal playlist, created on the Alternative Fruit YouTube channel.

 "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is" 
​Pablo Picasso 

​A polymath in the world of Art and Illustration, Marc Chagall, the Franco-Russian modernist painter, was one of the pioneers in his line of work. Creating images which completely stripped away all necessity for the accurate, and delving deep into the realms of sensual portrayal, Chagall and his following Modernist movement, have been a key-stone in the cultural landscape. Living until 1985, with an astonishingly long life, Chagall out lived many of his counterparts in Modernism, which began to flourish in the 1920s.  

​An international reputation for quality work allowed Marc Chagall to be commissioned for many awe inspiring pieces, including stained glass windows for several places of worship, including the Cathedrals at Metz and Reims. He also provided some stunning visual art within the widows of the United Nations building, an institute which was founded within his lifetime, due to events he'd also have witnessed first hand. This makes their presence there something very special.  

Having been raised in a Jewish family, with a European background, the adult life faced by Marc Chagall would have been turbulent. The 1930s and 40s were dark times for anyone with a non Anglo-Saxon heritage, and racism was rife in the continent. During the First World War, in 1914-18, Chagall found residency in Belarus, where he became a celebrated artist perhaps for the first time. Taking his newly found esteem, he went on to form a school of avant-garde art called Vitebsk Arts College. The area already had a strong reputation for excellence in the study of classics and the Kabbalah.  

​With such a magnificent taste in colour and shape, the surreal element of his work truly speaks in high volumes when we grace it with our eyes. The paintings themselves leap from their matrix and nestle themselves in our minds like loving children wanting a hug. It's such an honour to share a life with the work of Marc Chagall, and although I was only four years old when he passed away, I breathed the same air too. Class.  

The Third Parent? – Part of a team.


We all know the dangers of exposing our children to too much television. It's important that we recognise that what we all see on the box enters our mind and adds to who we are, in some way or other. When we are adults, the pile of stuff in our memory, conscious and subconscious, is large enough for the relative effect to not matter so much. But when we are very young, what we have absorbed in life is significantly less. Pre-school is an especially vulnerable age, we learn a great deal about the very basics of life, our fundamental learning occurs in the early years.  
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Tone and input both matter a lot, the addition of both information and emotion makes things stick, and they stick at the given perspective. Altering these views on particulars once pinned down with strong emotions is a very challenging task for anyone. Only with continual experience in the contrary can we slowly adjust to the reality, if we need to.


We all tend to watch the television. Some of us don't and that's not a problem, in fact many people believe that it is an entirely negative thing. I accept this as possible, but the intentions behind many program makers are far from negative. I have been humbled by the work of some personalities when it comes to helping me parent my children. Justin Fletcher A.K.A. Mr. Tumble has been a literal angel, teaching my little girl to communicate. Of course she had staff at hand also, but when we look further, we see they also used Mr Tumble DVDs to do their teaching with.  

Katy Ashworth, another big name on the British children's television scene, is responsible for encouraging hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of children and their families to eat healthy and easy to cook food. Her show, “I Can Cook” is made in a simple way, involving a basic recipe and children helping her to make the dishes. Growing up with this kind of input is bound to maximize the number of future healthy eaters, improving quality of life, reducing medical bills, and improving the quality of what we're offered in the cafes and eateries of tomorrow.  

There are plenty of people on this wonder channel that connect with the children all over the land in productive and educational ways. The 'slot presenters' who make scenes to introduce the shows are especially talented, but there's one more name I want to mention who is doing a great job for the world of arts and crafts. Phil Gallagher or Mr. Maker, as we fondly know him, has been producing pre-school art media and education for many years. His explosive and fun personality makes him an ideal candidate for TV, plus his natural ability to be creative gives children everywhere that art bug that we know is what drives the innovation of progress and cultural evolution.


My point, is that when we know what we're giving them, and we moderate it to decent portions, the TV is capable of providing an extra helping hand in the world of parenting. It won't replace us, and it won't make the dinner or the bed, but it can do a bit of baby sitting while we make them.  

Visit our creative arts section!

The International Art Gallery of Everywhere


As a person who makes a lot of digital art, and for the fact that this doesn't take as long as a traditional painting, there tends to be quite a lot of material produced. My hard drive works well, for what it is, but there's a lot more that can be done with the images. I began uploading work online for sale, and more importantly, available for all to see. With the low resolution provided by social media, giving images an okay quality that works well on a post card, the images provided for the online art galleries and printers (that's how it works), are given to full spec, with large files that remain in tact when uploaded.  

To get around the issue of people copying your work, we all know it happens and piracy in art is rife more than ever now we have digital representation and the right click save, just put your name on it, then if someone chooses to just keep copies it's serving as an advert. How many companies spend a fortune on making leaflets and sending them through doors? Just put your name on it.


When things go online, it's good to test your audience. Some art works sell best with the artist mentioned on the image, and some do not. We all have our routes, AB testing of image delivery is essential, so we can maximize our audience.  

Many of us make photos, art on a computer, and scans of our other work. This can easily be placed in a safe online haven for art like Zazzle, or Imagekind, even Saatchi accept art but their process is a lot stricter. Professionals only for those, however Zazzle especially are not fussy and they recognise that taste is exclusive to the individual.


This isn't just about making money, of course if we wanted money and nothing more then we'd have gotten a job somewhere else. Sticking to an artistic life path is not one for those of us who want to get rich, although we all hear of those lucky few who make it to the top. So what? It's about the journey more than the view from the summit. We all have our own peaks too, as in truth, no one path is going to be the same. Everyone has their own mountain to climb.  

​The important thing, is that the work is visible and available. The reason we go into art is to be able to add to the contribution of human culture over our lifetime, and the best way to do this is to deliver your art to as many out there as we can. The internet is an international art gallery, with many sites dedicated to marketing art, and helping individuals to become artists themselves.  

A renowned self portraiture artist, with a distinct tangent for the abstraction of feeling and hence expression on the outside, in perhaps the 'nearest best fit of nature' if I may pick a phrase in humble interpretation, Heffernan is willing to show herself in some intimate and telling fantasy, which leads us in many directions of thought.


Perhaps in some pictures, where the feminine is changed to masculine, the feeble and immature element within gives way to sensations of vulnerability and anxiety, mixed with freshness and willingness to be.  

​Nature is evident as a major influence in the work of Julie Hefferrnan, and the ideals of climate protection and conservation, symbols of fruiting trees sprouting from the inner belly, manifestations of motion and thought like dreamy landscapes - are bejewelled by the sheer quality of detail.

Classical music is on the rise, with a little help from the digital magic of synthesised orchestras and at home recording software as good as it was in the studio not many years ago. We don't even need to learn how to play the traditional instruments, as the keyboards of today are more than capable of replicating the real thing to such a quality degree that only hardcore musos could tell the subtle variations. Of course we cannot absolutely re-create the organic wood and warmth that a cello played by human hands would resonate with as it was played but we can have a good shot at it.


Technicians of the sound wave spend a lot of time, money, and effort on honing in their algorithms to match that of a naturally played instrument. Their art has been in progress for many years and will be for many more to come. Some of us can remember the lack-lustre half hatched efforts of these sounds from not too long ago. Now considered as instruments of themselves, retro attempts to replicate the real life orchestra provide an edge that throws us straight back in time.


An intimate knowledge of the keyboard can be gained over time, and anyone with experience on piano has an instant head start, with the main work being in the learning the technical side. If learning a classical instrument is a long shot, and it is for many of us for sure, a keyboard is a much easier instrument to get the basic grips with, only once we go beyond does it suddenly become a bit complicated. Even then, it's OK to have a slow and stead slog into the realms of mastery, over time.


Learning synthesisers and keyboards is a fantastic way to open up the world of music, as with the versatile nature of the equipment, we can reach for any goal and make a decent sounding record. If we're prepared to work hard, and use real skills and training, it's possible to produce extremely good music at home that a hundred years ago would only have been possible in a concert hall and a lot of money.


This is a great thing, classical music that uses a range of varying instruments is renowned for improving mental ability, by giving the conscious awareness multiple focus points with their own pattern and flow, it trains the mind in thinking and analysing while enjoying and thus links pleasure to learning and paying attention. One of my favourite modern classical artists is Blurry Lights. Rather than write a review, I'll just leave it here.