Freud’s Requiem… what a great title!
In his premise the author alludes to the idea that what we create is nothing more than the subterfuge of our psyche.
Originally I was not pleased at this accusation!
That I (or my mind) would create using “deception in order to conceal, escape, or evade”[1]
However, after considering his words what I think he is really saying is that; we reinvent ourselves and in doing so we tell ourselves gentle lies to mask the pain or the fear.
This was more palatable.
In creating are we trying to match our reality with our dream world?
How real do your dreams feel?
I will venture to suggest that in this gentle dance with our subconscious we are splashing about in a warm bath, because it feels good and it might even shed some light on our deepest fears.
Is this a form of deception too?
Or are we pointing the way for our consciousness to make our dreams come true?
Inspiration speaks volumes about what we ourselves may be missing, as do our dreams.
So when we look at this idea of ‘the subtle subterfuge’, we should see the magic by which the artist reinvents himself.
We are enchanted by these stories that we are told of our inner selves.
Where then is the boundary between our reality and our creation? Is there one and should there be?
Finally this story reveals that this form of reinvention, of untruths at the base of creativity comes from need and from hope.
The fact is that we can change our world by using our imagination and thus make the unbearable bearable.
Our dreams are, in fact, a part of the process.
Granted to us through the act of creating, dreams allude to the promise of finding peace and even happiness in our greatest fears and our deepest pain.
We have the possibility of healing.
Our inner selves are shouting out our stories and our dreams become visible for the world to see.
Our artist studios are, indeed, the most sacred place to be.
By Boky and Blake
Freud’s Requiem by Mathew von Unwerth [1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary