Porcupinefish are also called blowfish because they have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air, thereby becoming rounder. This increase in size (almost double vertically) reduces the range of potential predators to those with much bigger mouths. A second defense mechanism is provided by the sharp spines, which radiate outwards when … Continue reading The Blowfish who Stole my Weekend.
The reality of being a writer.
In 2020, there were over 44.2 thousand writers and authors working in the United States, down very slightly from the previous year but still markedly higher than the figure recorded back in 2011. Many changes have occurred for employees in this sector over the last few years, and it is a truth universally acknowledged that … Continue reading The reality of being a writer.
The Flow
The Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole … Continue reading The Flow
Artists and the Middle Way.
Why do you have so many contemporary painters who pose with brush and pallet in their hands while most of their work consists of digitally created canvas prints? Previous generations were proud to pose with the latest tools of their craft that offered them more possibilities to increase the quality and quantity of their output. … Continue reading Artists and the Middle Way.
My Kingdom for a Comfortable Chair.
An incredibly comfortable chair. One that looks nice. I just want to be able to sit and work without having to use any muscle in my body except my fingers and maybe my brain muscle. Those who're following me for a while will probably notice that my studio became a little crammed. That's also a … Continue reading My Kingdom for a Comfortable Chair.
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Why would a smart New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock’s drip painting No. 5, 1948 sell for $140 million? Economist Don Thompson explores it in his book, tracing the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt … Continue reading The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Literature, Information Technology, and the Internet.
Information technology refers to the ways most literature comes nowadays into existence while the internet refers to its most popular distribution channel. The book industry has come to the realization that they have lost their monopoly of being the sole gate keepers of the literary world, while it can still be a career boost for … Continue reading Literature, Information Technology, and the Internet.
Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
Let me start with the admission that most artistic projects are abandoned by their creators at a certain point. That doesn’t mean they’re unfinished projects: it just indicates that the artist moved on to other pastures of inspiration, style and interest. Everyone who’s artistically active, knows how difficult it is to resist the tsunami of … Continue reading Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
Is being an artist a passion or an obsession?
The Cambridge dictionary defines the two words as follow: 1. A Passion for something: an extreme interest in or wish for doing something 2. An Obsession: something or someone that you think about all the time. While a passion is “extreme behavior” it lacks the indefinite time connotation. We all have passions but how many … Continue reading Is being an artist a passion or an obsession?
About Analysis and Synthesis.
Since I became aware that lately became a little sloppy in giving regular updates, I decided to recycle on of my older posts where I was pondering about the tension field between artists and scientists. My general take upon this issue is that artists tend to have a synthetic approach towards the reality while scientists … Continue reading About Analysis and Synthesis.
Mystic Cyclical Synthetism.
My artistic approach found inspiration in Frank Zappa’s Project/Object concept for his work in various mediums. Each project (in whatever realm) is part of a larger object, that I call mystic cyclical synthetism.
Bots on the Social Media and in Literature
Bots can be extremely sophisticated such as (i) generating pseudo posts which look like human generated to interact with humans on a social network, (ii) reposting post, photographs or status of the others, and (iii) adding comments or likes to posts, (iv) building connections with other accounts.
Why do Writers Write?
Writing is a way to find rest and repose amidst an incredibly busy and bustling life — an oasis found through the writing process and its fruition. It helps me to release some complex and convoluted thoughts that I foist with the narrative of a historical fantasy. This provides me with an effective source of grounding and stress release and takes a greater burden off of my shoulders.
Writing in Times of Pestilence
Now that society is struggling to deal with a devastating flu pandemic, I found the time ripe to give this subject some thoughts in a literary context. The first plague writings emerged around 1665 and resulted in innovative dialogues on a long endured illness. While the collective memory of the plague as an affliction was … Continue reading Writing in Times of Pestilence
Transitions
During the past weeks the word transition was prominently echoing through my mind. The primary cause for it was that I’ve been traveling extensively lately before settling down again in one of my familiar lay backs, Grand Canary. Soon after my arrival, the island was hit by a heavy sandstorm (locally referred to as a … Continue reading Transitions
Islands and Literature.
I’ve relocated recently from Barcelona to Utila, a little rock in the Caribbean with 6,000 habitants. It’s a writer’s paradise since islands have always occupied a powerful place and have been a source of fascination in the literary imagination. From the discovery of the Americas to the period of decolonization, European writers and artists translating … Continue reading Islands and Literature.
The Lovecraftian Universe as a Cornerstone of The Maharajagar.
Howard Philips Lovecraft created an alternate universe populated by malevolent sea-creatures and gods whereupon multiple artists have been expanding. Although he died in poverty, Lovecraft is now heralded as one of the greatest horror and fantasy writers of his time. In modern fiction and art, his work is frequently referred to as “The Cthulhu Mythos,” … Continue reading The Lovecraftian Universe as a Cornerstone of The Maharajagar.
The Novel as an Infinite Literary Jest.
“Fiction’s about what it is to be a fucking human being.” One who gets lost in life and takes all those tales literally, can forget that novelist very often lie in order to explain some truth.
Monomania and Literature.
The most common monomaniacal behavior associated with the literary field is of a very mundane nature: the obsession of writers with writing and that of the readers with reading.
The Moral Crusaders and Literary Criticism.
Once an artist releases a product, it stands on its own and must be judged as such. The only views and opinions that count, are those ventilated or provoked by the artistic creation itself.
Shaharee Vyaas 