ONE OR MANY

For many creatives there is an ongoing conflict of whether to focus on one specific interest OR move across a whole range of mediums. At one end of the spectrum you have people like Japan's National Living Treasures (wikipedia link), who have spent a lifetime perfecting their craft. Then, you have artists who express themselves through whatever medium is most accessible or useful at a given time. That might range from blogging to photography to buying everyday products like food or clothing to drawing to making a garden ... This process is seamless and no less coherent than focusing on one craft, because regardless of the medium it is still an expression of the same evolving personal philosophy. Perhaps it is also equally as enlightening as focusing on one specific thing. You often get that feeling when you speak to someone who has traveled the world and integrated the collective wisdom of many cultures and people into his/her own beliefs.

Picasso did not just paint, he created sculpture, sketches and all manner of creative expression. Even though some people only know him for his later work, what makes him and his work so wonderful is this diversity of media and the ways his exploration of art and life are intertwined. Is this multi-dimensional approach more reflective of humans, whom are rarely one-dimensional, or is it more reflective of a given society? And the case of focusing on one craft is a manifestation of a particular time and place?

As is often the case in our culturally-mixed, hybridized and eclectic society, the answer is not one or the other, it's multiplicity. Do we have a choice at all? Are we better to, as a friend describes "keep breathing, keep attention and let go"? In this way our attitudes and behaviour are allowed to reflect our ongoing dialogue with our surrounds and what manifests is always a reflection of what is required at the time? Even if this is not our conscious choice, is this what happens anyway and the conflict that arises is in our minds?