Most humans, it seems, still put up fences around their acts and thoughts — even when these are piles of shit — for they have no other way of delimiting them. Contrast Paleolithic cave paintings, in which animals and magical markings are overlayed with no differentiation or sense of framing. But when some of us have worked in natural settings, say in a meadow, woods, or mountain range, our cultural training has been so deeply ingrained that we have simply carried a mental rectangle with us to drop around whatever we were doing. This made us feel at home. (Even aerial navigation is plotted geometrically, thus giving the air a "shape".) .Allan Kaprow
About This Quote
The cultural training we receive from our childhood and throughout adulthood is not all bad, it helps us understand our role in society and life. However, many of these definitions that we have learned over the years are limiting and can lead to a sense of self-blame, self-doubt and frustration. For example, how many times have you thought to yourself "I should have done ______ instead of ______" or "I'm so stupid because I didn't do ________"? The reason why we find ourselves doing these things is because we have been told by those around us, those who raised us, those who influenced us throughout our lives to be a certain way. Maybe it was to become successful or popular or have a good job or a particular job that was considered worthy.
If we were raised to believe that a certain profession was a prestigious one that would bring us happiness then chances are we will achieve this goal. However, once we no longer associate with those who raised us and live our lives as if we have nothing to gain by following their rules and stigmas we can begin to see the beauty in what makes us different. We can see the power in our own uniqueness.
We can begin to understand that no matter what people say it is ok to be who we are because there is no one else like another person.
Some Similar Quotes
- Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.
- It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.
- Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.
- Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.
- There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.
More Quotes By Allan Kaprow
- Most humans, it seems, still put up fences around their acts and thoughts — even when these are piles of shit — for they have no other way of delimiting them. Contrast Paleolithic cave paintings, in which animals and magical markings are overlayed with no...
- ...it's not what artists touch that counts most. It's what they don't touch.