The Creative Manifesto

THE CREATIVE MANIFESTO

by Vassily Yurchenko *

The purpose of art is nothing less than the upliftment of the human spirit. The first and most important responsibility of every individual is to discover themselves and their uniqueness in order to discern what they are most suited for in life.  The second most important goal is to carry it out, become that person.  Finding out what one should be in life and then acting upon it requires a broad education (not necessarily a formal one)and an awareness to open one's mind to all the possibilities;  in short, learning to see.  Ideally, parents initialize this process, and school picks up where parents leave off.  As a person strives towards adulthood, the blurred uncertainty of youth is gradually replaced with a vision of the adventurer.  Thus begins the journey towards self-mastery.  But the sad reality is that fewer and fewer parents take the time to encourage this self-discovery.  The failure of our educational system to adequately minister a genuine sense of personal growth has been well documented elsewhere, and it is not my intent to elaborate on that here.   It has become even more imperative today that the individual bear up against the odds against him and claim his right to the "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" with every fiber of being.   The need for art has perhaps never been so crucial to the survivial of man's free spirit.

An individual's sincere passion must never be denied.  The route to "finding one's self", and what one is best suited for, is to first find one's passion.  Talent is useless if there is no passion to sustain it.   If one has passion, the talent will naturally follow as night follows day.   I found my passion early, and it was in the means of emotional expression, which lead directly to the fine arts. 

It is a human tragedy that most societies discourage passion.  We are raised to "fit in", to conform, which can only lead to mediocrity at the least, and frustration at the worst.  It does not lead to excellence - unless we decide, then, to rebel.  We are wrongly told we must "serve" society by doing what "it" expects of us.  But this can never be real service if the passion to do it is absent.   Instead it becomes a living  lie.

So for me to be an artist is a mandate.  Nothing less is acceptable.  I have been told, by my inner voices, by professional career counselors and psychologists alike, that to fail to honor my passion is a disservice to myself - which ultimately can only lead to a disservice to society.  We must each become that which manifests our abilities to the highest order.  Art is my passion - my mission - for nothing less than "upliftment of the human spirit".

Upliftment is to elevate one's soul beyond those things that are mundane or material.  At the same time, it does not deny either of those elements.  Upliftment is seeking that which is truth.

Art is kindred to science in the quest for truth, with the only principle difference being their beginning reference points.  Art is a form of self-mastery through self- knowledge, the goal of which is tied to the search for truth.  The second half of that statement is equally applicable to the goal of the scientist.  Artists seeking to master a technique or the work they are attempting to create, ultimately strive towards self-mastery by in inward journey.  Science, concerned with the search for truth,  begins with the externals as it seeks answers to the workings of the universe.  But the ultimate result this leads to the same point: self-mastery, self knowledge.     

When I began the focused  practice of fine art I had no materials, no equipment, no inventory or contacts or base capital.   I was unpracticed technically, although my creative spirit had been fed for years - all my life, essentially - by a wellspring of nurtured passion.  A strong foundation included some fine art training in high school and college. Equally important is my dedication to music through the guitar since age 12 (to the present) and a consistent tendency to write, with an occasional foray into visual arts through infrequent drawings and several years' interest in photography.  But when I decided in mid-1988 that I had waited long enough to take my art seriously, I was delving into the unknown.  In the 7 years that ensued I learned the nature of pigments, their vehicles and chemical properties, to control the implements which apply these pigments to various surfaces, and in the process, create something where previously, nothing existed.   This something - a work of art - has an intrinsic and marketable value.   But the highest value I seek to attain is that of upliftment of the spirit - my own included, of course.  Through art I am able to transcend the level of casual observation to that of participation.  It is to discover the nature of things and their relationship to themselves and eachother.   Thus, my approach to art has been dubbed "Romantic Naturalism".

It has taken many years to find my creative voice, to write the lyrics to the music of my life.  Art is an evolving process self-confrontation and discovery.  There is frequently a gap that separates one's vision from the actual product, but the means to narrow that gap, comes from effort and confidence.  A caveat:  confidence and creating art is hard work.   Confidence can only be achieved through continued, dedicated practice.   It should be understood that the more worthwhile the pursuit, the more difficult it becomes, both in terms of achievement and to "stay the course".

Man can be creator, destroyer, or maintainer of the status quo.  The only one that I accept is the first on that list.  It would be a travesty, a failure of myself as a human being, if I did not live up to this.

*not really