Creative process and artistic expression

The creative process and artistic expression as manifestations of the Soul

What makes us humans beings with high creative potential? How does the inspiration arise to write a magnificent poem, or compose a melody, or even paint a picture that can be the best expression of what we feel? Could it be that all these manifestations are simply pure rational “invention”?

The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung states that the choice of theme or the inspiration that springs in the author’s mind comes from unconscious processes, are produced by the need for creation that is inherent in human nature, that is, the production of both a dream and fantasy, as much as a work of art, they are part of a creative process that in no way belong to the artist or the dreamer.

The material that is presented to the individual comes from the autonomous processes of the psyche, and in this way, when this material appears in the consciousness, the individual has no control over it, it only remains for him to accept the images and express them in the best way he can.

Jung already stated that we are not the ones who choose the contents, as in the case of the theme of a painting, or a song, or even the production of an academic work (monographs, theses and dissertations), but the contents that choose us. In any case, it is through his intuition that the artist dives into the creative sources of the collective psyche, and it is from this rich world that presents itself to him that the raw material of his work comes. “For Jung, the sources of creative capacity are contained in that impersonal, collective unconscious, from which the new emerges. The artist is led to immerse himself in the source of these creative forces that are the heritage of humanity and, from them, configure his work” (PERRONE, s/d, p. 5).

Therefore, the work of art is seen by Jungian psychology as a manifestation of the autonomous complexes of the collective unconscious, that is, the archetypes, which have nothing to do with personal impulses or personal complexes. The archetypes represent the instinctive impulses of the collective man, in this way, when a work of art appears in society, it is rather an expression of contents that rest in this unconscious layer common to all human beings.

I believe that it is not difficult to perceive the impact that feelings have when we look at an artistic expression, be it a painting that paralyzes us, or a song that moves us so deeply that we end up saying – “this expresses what I feel”. Or even when we leave shocked or amazed by the scenes of a movie. It is there, in this tiny moment of time that our lives seem to meet, become in fact common, and all those around us seem to share the same feeling and sensation. This is collective, this is the deep “touch in the soul” that only the artist can bring out.

“This is the secret of the action of art. The creative process consists (as far as we can follow it) in an unconscious activation of the archetype and an elaboration and formalization in the finished work. In a way, the formation of the primordial image is a transcription by the artist into the language of the present, giving each one the possibility of finding access to the deepest sources of life that would otherwise be denied”. (JUNG, 2011, p. 83)

Art also has its manifestations in who is chosen to manifest it. The artist’s creative spirit is seen as an innate instinct that impels him to create and produce, as a kind of overwhelming hunger that needs to be satisfied. In this way, the production of the work of art does not have a link with the artist’s life story or personality, the latter’s function is simply to shape the contents, inserting them into society, which makes these contents receive a rational construction and shaped by a social context.

“The psychology of the artist is a collective and not a personal matter. This is because art, in him, is innate like an instinct that takes hold of him, making him its instrument. Ultimately, what he wants in him is not himself as a personal man, but the work of art. As a person, he has his moods, whims, and selfish goals; but as an artist he is, in the highest sense, “man”, and collective man, bearer and shaper of the unconscious and active soul of humanity”. (JUNG, 2011, p. 104)

Since artistic production is considered in analytical psychology as a manifestation of psychic reality, and this reality has the character of the ineffable, containing the same characteristics of a sacred object, artistic expression is also seen in a certain way, as religious and sacred. Thus, it must be welcomed in the same way as a religious object.

Expressions that do not have an explicitly religious theme often have an extremely religious content as a background. Whatever the form assumed by artistic production, it is always articulated in a culture, and its interpretations always start from a symbolic identification as an attempt at understanding. The articulation of artistic expression can only take place in culture, just as there can be no religion without culture, as they are intrinsically linked and dependent. The manifestations of one are shaped by the other, culture is also structured according to religious precepts together with impulses from the collective unconscious. This also happens in art, because, although the contents are of a transcendent and divine reality, the form needs to adapt to the physical limits and the materials used.

“Everything you want to say about this ‘sacred’ must be in rational categories, therefore cultural. There, it is already a question of another moment, which is the hermeneutic moment, the moment of unfolding the experience in the diapers of the respective culture of a people. Analogies, metaphors, symbols, etc. are used there, which are, as a whole, genre species of the language of religious experience”. (RAIMER 2010, p.4)

Although the context of the time is also important, art has no expiration date, its expression simply crosses the timeline, it manifests both today and what is to come, and will always be ahead of any interpretation or rationalization. In this way, Jung defends the need for a symbolic attitude on the part of the observer, that is, we should not disregard anything that is presented, and we have no right to judge the content.

It is clear the importance that Jung attaches to the issue of observing the image, be it a painting, sculpture or even music, where they often evoke our memories or even scenes that simply appear in our mind. Whatever the form of manifestation, we will always have an image about the fact, and this image by itself already shows itself the way it has to be, often fulfilling the role that fits it, that is, as art and nothing else.

“Over the whole process, there hovers an obscure precognition, not only of what is taking shape, but also of its significance. Image and meaning are identical, and as the first takes on definite contours, the second becomes clearer. The form thus acquired, strictly speaking, does not need interpretation, as it itself describes its meaning”. (JUNG 2011, p.152)

As a wise teacher of mine would say – “Art can only serve itself, otherwise it would cease to be art.”

References:

· PERRONE, Maria Paula. The Creative Imagination: Jung and Bachelard.

· JUNG, Carl Gustav. The nature of the psyche. OC vol. 8/2. Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro. Voices, 4th edition. 2011

· JUNG, Carl Gustav. The Spirit in Art and Science. OC vol. 15. Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro. Voices, 4th edition. 2011

· REIMER, Harold. The Sacred in Rufold Otto. Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás. Graduate Program in History. 2010

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