Artistry, Sensemaking and Dialogue Projects by John Oliver
Artistry as inquiry, symbolism,
sensemaking, dialogue and ...dancing with the mystery
My Inspirations
My passion in art adventures / creative projects is to translate narratives at all levels (personal, social, macro) using symbols and signifiers.
Thanks to the spontenaity and improvisation in the creative process, my experiment (based on many other artists' accounts) is in accessing deeper levels of consciousness and having art as a corner stone in my spiritual practices and activism.
Having worked in narratives (Sensemaking / human complexity sciences) in my consulting career in organisational development, I am now seeking to work with narratives as an anthropologist utilising richer / multi-dimensional methods, and move from my previous specialisation in cognitive psychology to explore the 'pre-cognitive' processes.
WHY ART?
It's not about the objects of creation,
but the consciousness that arises thereof*
*Quote inspired from US artist Robert Urwin (b. 1928)
My artistic practice has been a conscious experiment to learn and experience new ways of being - learning to listen to myself, to others and to the silence. Through the magic and mystery of creative acts is the foundation of my purpose. I am passionate about how we grow and evolve throughout our adult lives. and maps our of soul maturity (ref. Bill Plotkin).
Art is a domain where I can question all previous references, to move through breakdown to breakthrough. Permission to wander blindly, humbly and audaciously, and trust my heart’s compass.
As an artist, I seek to be the connection between things, in a perpetual movement, dynamic and dance… culminating in a vision of creative activism that brings art into a practical role.
Art in Social Action
'Art in action' therefore has a role to play in dialogue with the 'Sciences', and with the very practical fabric of our individual and collective lives.
See my page dedicated to the practical applications and relevance of art and the creative experience for our modern world here.
"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets"