Definitions HQ

The Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purpose through him.

Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠one who, for the sake of humanity, is ready to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a reproducer of appearances but a creator and educator, whose works are symbols that sketch lines of future development.

An Artist (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is less viable, more abnormal, makes symbols of narrower social validity — though they may be absolute for him.

Artist (n.) and ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠highly emotional people may lodge the ego in the anima rather than the persona — and have the same daemonic fear of reality that ordinary people have of the unconscious.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what patients who give their dreams form without seeking their meaning sometimes fancy themselves — misunderstood ones, naturally.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠now what many call themselves by their own grace, as if art required no ability — but if you have nothing to create, perhaps you create yourself.

An Artist (n.) pays ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for the work with his conscious energy: the drained ego sinks into apathy or regresses, the instinctual prevailing over the ethical, the infantile over the mature.

An Artist (n.) whose ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠personal psychology fully explained his work would stand revealed as a mere symptom.

An Artist (n.) as ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠artist is neither autoerotic nor erotic in any sense, but objective, impersonal, even inhuman — for as an artist he is nothing but his work.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the exact opposite of an official, yet secretly like one: like the gentleman, the officer and the cardinal, his role has a psychology more collective than personal.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠explained by his art, not his art by him: his conflicts and insufficiencies are only the regrettable results of carrying a heavier burden than ordinary mortals.

An Artist (n.) may ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠go the way of the Philistine, the good citizen, the fool or the criminal; his career may be interesting, but it does not explain his art.

An Artist (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠like every true prophet, the unknowing mouthpiece of his era's psychic secrets: he thinks he is speaking, but the spirit of the age is feeding him his lines.

The Artist (n.) claims ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠paternity of his characters to bolster his ego against the suspicion that he is the victim of a creative urge welling from the unconscious — lesser men have more need of greatness.

The Artist (n.) often ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠cannot think at all, Jung found: musicians and painters never intentionally use their brains, which go on working by themselves.