Not too long ago, I was reading ‘The Question Concerning Technology’; a treatise by Martin Heidegger on the role technology plays within humanity’s scope and its ultimate essence. Wait— scratch that, let’s go back even further, to when I was studying illustration and design and under a compressive and consumptive desire to establish “style” in my art. I went through stages of deconstructing my processes, not being satisfied by anything I made or any process that I could employ. Not to say that I didn’t appreciate the work I was making… but that none of it really resonated with me. For all the bitter tears and hard work, I was just making pretty pictures that I barely cared about at the end of the day.
So I found myself getting into the philosophical nitty gritty of creating art and invariably found myself reading up about Aristotle’s claim that the fundamental essence of humanity seeks to a. Think (theoria) b. Make (poiesis) c. Do (praxis). Let’s call them P-P-T for ease of reading.
I think it would be an understatement to say, P-P-T rocked my world. Not overtly at first, but all my decision making started orienting itself towards these strictures.
Was I doing what I was saying?, Was I thinking about what I was making? Did my actions align with my thoughts?
I considered this thought process with earnest optimism when I was in tech. I believed in the purity of tech and what I could do in the industry. I thought I was finally finding my way through something vast, new and fundamentally humanistic.
Lol 🙄
Technology is therefore no mere means. Technology is a way of revealing. If we give heed to this, then another whole realm for the essence of technology will open itself up to us. It is the realm of revealing, i.e., of truth – The Question Concerning Technology, M. Heidegger.
It’s hard to pull quotes from Heidegger, tbh. A lot of it sounds like nonsense unless you consume his ideas in its entirety, but I thought this quote did a pretty good job.
Anyway, in Heidegger’s articulation of what it means to use things, it came down to how you see things. Aligning poiesis with praxis, I faced head on my refusal to accept that although I loved image making, I was by no means an illustrator nor did I have aspirations to put myself through the wringer to be in the same space as some of my far more passionate and talented compatriots. This alleviated the crushing desire to have a “style” and allowed me simply to make.
I started honoring the act of creation with a rebellious spirit as my political, humanistic and creative axises started orbiting each other with a gravitational force that was hard to untangle.
Anyway, it was only a matter of time P-P-T bled into all aspects of my life. It freed me from a frantic need for intimacy in my relationships, my so called apolitical values, my art, even the words that came out of my mouth had started to weave themselves through this framework.
To no one’s surprise, I found myself on the averse end of capitalism and its seedy underbelly that treated all aspects of humanism with transactional detachment. I found validation and warmth in the knowledge that anything I make had inherent value in its existence. Thus, I started to slide further and further left on the political spectrum and my views on creation also began to take on new shades and hues.
In my endeavors so far, the only thing I can say with certainty is that all three of those activities, P-P-T, depend on each other to create a holistic framework. Doing and Making is pointless without thought and intention. Thinking and Making means little when what you do undermines all that you create. And without creation, deed and thought are nothing but unrealized and lofty goals.
Creation is a grounding force. An act of hubris and humility all at once. You dare to create something as an aspect of you, enfolded in layers and layers of vulnerability in having made something that itself, dares to go forth into the world to be perceived by eyes that may not love it as much as you do. Creation is inherently anti-capitalistic because it doesn’t generate value, it is inherently valuable because it exists. Although, I guess one may exploit the ‘value’ of their creation for material gain, as Heidegger deftly refers to as ‘enframing’. This is the tightrope most professional artists have to maneuver in our current capitalist framework, honoring creation without capitalistic forces all the while needing to ‘exploit’ it so that you can feed yourself.
Coming out of art school, as every art student knows, it’s common to get the “I’m just not creative” spiel in all kinds of scenarios, from a myriad of random people who believe that they’re just incapable of making something because their creation may have no monetary value.
To those people, I want to say— build your thoughts, align your actions with your thoughts and then go forth and create. Crafts, food, relationships, spaces, words— things that weren’t, and then through you as a conduit, come to be. All those things will walk you through the confusing times, hard times and wonderful times. No matter how bleak the world may seem, fostering this framework within yourself will always be your grounding force and you’ll see that you needn’t even be “a creative person” to create.