I see two types of art: emotional and transcendent. Emotional art encompasses the bulk of artistic expression. In it, the artist’s emotions produce the expression. In transcendent art, the expression emerges from beyond the personality of the artist. In artist is moved by their art. The expression causes emotion rather than emotion causing the expression.
The artist begins their development with emotional art. It is the process of studying their life, traumas, challenges, and mind. Eventually, the truthful artist will gain perspective on their emotional drama. At that point, their mental needs diminish and their destiny in service to others appears. The master artist is in service to mankind – not to their ego. He dips into an interior pool of wisdom to share with those who will listen.
The transcendent artist knows their mind and has a mental place of peace in which creation emerges. Their skill is in perfecting their ability to transform the stuff of inspiration into earthly clay, making the invisible visible, in giving the eternal a flavor. The transcendent artist is a mystic with a gift for expression.
The artist who never transcends emotional art indulges in artistic masturbation. The work of such an eternal journeyman may be filled with tremendous energy, but it is the energy of a mind erupting with emotions. The emotional artist is an insane person with a gift for expression. The insanity resulting from ignorance of their true nature and the resulting confused attempts to establish and defend an identity.
The binge and purge of emotion will be transcended by an honest, earnest quest for the source of artistic inspiration. Within one’s self is found the source of creation.