Shahree Vyaas's Blog, page 18

When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be. Mixed techniques on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be

By John Keats

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;
When I behold, upon the night’s starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

The elusive Self. Mixed media on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

We perceive ourselves as autonomous, discrete individuals with an unchanging inner self that persists throughout our lifetime, but this is an illusion. Your inner self is a constantly evolving product of what you’ve done and can do. Your inner self isn’t made up by what you have been told by others, not as what you think of yourself, but by what you’re doing.

To know your inner self is to know how your actions corelate with your purpose, your values, your visions, your motivations, your goals and your beliefs. Too many people have severe misconceptions about their true self, mostly induced by methods and philosophies that involve a lot of navel gazing and hollow rhetoric. It even amounts to self delusion if you believe that what you think is more important than what you do.

The average garbage collector is doing more for the environment than most “Save-The-Planet” activists. They usually clean up the rubble that said activists leave behind after one of their protest meetings. Only those who walk their talk should claim that etiquette. Greta Grunberg is an excellent example, but has sadly enough a whole bunch of table jumpers surfing in her wake.

People are so full of self delusional thoughts about themselves: the procrastinator with the messy office desk who claims to be just a busy person, the adulterous spouses who preach family values, the vain and ignorant that proclaim themselves geniuses, the third generation welfare beneficiaries who deem themselves overqualified or unfit for the job offers they get, the greedy ones who think of themselves as just being frugal, the strong who exploit the weaker and believe they’re doing the latter a favor, the querulant vandal who postures as a seeker of justice, …

To conclude this post, I would like to share a limerick that I found very instructive. Following this pearl of wisdom everyone has three personalities: the one they think they are, the one other people think they are, and the one they really are.

The search for the inner self. Mixed media on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

We perceive ourselves as autonomous, discrete individuals with an unchanging inner self that persists throughout our lifetime, but this is an illusion. Your inner self is a constantly evolving product of what you’ve done and can do. Your inner self isn’t made up by what you have been told by others, not as what you think of yourself, but by what you’re doing.

To know your inner self is to know how your actions corelate with your purpose, your values, your visions, your motivations, your goals and your beliefs. Too many people have severe misconceptions about their true self, mostly induced by methods and philosophies that involve a lot of navel gazing and hollow rhetoric. It even amounts to self delusion if you believe that what you think is more important than what you do.

The average garbage collector is doing more for the environment than most “Save-The-Planet” activists. They usually clean up the rubble that said activists leave behind after one of their protest meetings. Only those who walk their talk should claim that etiquette. Greta Grunberg is an excellent example, but has sadly enough a whole bunch of table jumpers surfing in her wake.

People are so full of self delusional thoughts about themselves: the procrastinator with the messy office desk who claims to be just a busy person, the adulterous spouses who preach family values, the vain and ignorant that proclaim themselves geniuses, the third generation welfare beneficiaries who deem themselves overqualified or unfit for the job offers they get, the greedy ones who think of themselves as just being frugal, the strong who exploit the weaker and believe they’re doing the latter a favor, the querulant vandal who postures as a seeker of justice, …

To conclude this post, I would like to share a limerick that I found very instructive. Following this pearl of wisdom everyone has three personalities: the one they think they are, the one other people think they are, and the one they really are.

Affective Geologies. Mixed techniques on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

The concept of affective geologies is like a recipe for understanding how water affects the landscape and the people who inhabit it. It is a set of instructions for interpreting the living history of humanity as water shapes and is given shape by the environment, culture, and economy. This approach considers the emotional and sensory experiences that water induces, as well as its physical properties. By following this formula, we can attain a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between water and geology, and our own place within the ecosystem.

X. Mixed techniques on canvas 40.6 cm x 40.6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

In #algebra, the letter ‘x’ is often used to represent an #unknown quantity or variable. #X is a concept that rethinks the sources, uses, and representations of water. The idea behind X is that there are vast quantities of water that #vapor in the atmosphere to be transported by #winds, sometimes thousands of kilometers, to remote regions where it can act as a source of moisture for #agriculture and other uses. By understanding the dynamics of this phenomenon, it may be possible to develop new strategies for managing water #resources. The concept of an unknown quantity or variable is relevant here since the movements and distribution of these flying rivers in the #atmosphere can be difficult to predict.

Dynamics. Mixed techniques on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

The concept of dynamics challenges our perception of fixed borders and boundaries. The seven oceans are an example to illustrate how the arbitrary lines imposed by humans can limit our understanding of the interconnected systems of the world. Dynamics blurs the distinctions between land and sea, creating a complex and ever-changing landscape. By embracing this interconnectedness, we can adjust our perspective to better appreciate the diversity and beauty of our natural world. Being water is being dynamic.

Wokean Nation. Mixed techniques on canvas W 30 cm x H 20 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

#Woke and #anti-woke #crusaders are the two prominent currents which give shape at the current #political landscape. Both #movements #cancel the works from artists and writers that don’t wholeheartedly support their rhetoric.

It is accompanied with violent street clashes between two parties with opposite views about fundamental values. One wants to curb the rising gun-violence by tighter gun-control, while the other one argues that the solution consists out of more guns. One wants to solve a myriad of #sexually tainted teenage issues by giving children a sexual education, while the other one argues that sexual education causes those issues. And so the debate goes on, about economics, healthcare, and many more…

It is foot-stamping arguing about individual rights that ignores the tension field where those rights should be balanced against the needs of a society. I consider both movements as the head of the same beast: a new #American-styled, #book-burning kind of #fascism with #revisionist tendencies towards #history.

All Life came out of the Water. Mixed techniques on canvas 40.3 cm x 40.3 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.

The importance of big bodies of water cannot be overstated. They provide necessary sustenance for all life on earth, from vegetable matter to animals to minerals. Without water, organic life would not exist, as it is necessary for the growth and survival of plants, animals, and humans. The oceans also play key roles in regulating the earth’s climate and weather patterns. Whether it be a river, lake, or ocean, water is the source of all life and holds an immense significance in our ecosystem.

The Magical Reality of Being Water. Mixed techniques on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas

Living as water means embracing the mystical universe, where planetary and stellar alignments create synchronous patterns. It’s an acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of all things, and a willingness to flow with the ebb and flow of cosmic energy. By embodying the essence of water, we become more attuned to the rhythms of nature and the cyclical nature of existence. It’s a reminder that we are all part of a vast, interconnected cosmical web, and that our actions ripple out and affect the world around us.

The Magical Reality of Being Water. Mixed tecniques on canvas 40,6 x 40,6 cm by Shaharee Vyaas

Living as water means embracing the mystical universe, where planetary and stellar alignments create synchronous patterns. It’s an acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of all things, and a willingness to flow with the ebb and flow of cosmic energy. By embodying the essence of water, we become more attuned to the rhythms of nature and the cyclical nature of existence. It’s a reminder that we are all part of a vast, interconnected cosmical web, and that our actions ripple out and affect the world around us.