Aesthetic: A Creative’s Best Friend
It was once said by Stoic philosopher Seneca in his work, “Letters from a Stoic”, that, “Inwardly everything should be different, but our outward face should conform with the crowd.” Here, he was addressing how a philosopher should go about displaying themselves to the public, of course with the goal of, not conforming for conformity sake, but doing so in order to remain in-line with the Stoics ultimate goal, living in accordance with nature.
However, isn’t it in man’s nature to rebel, to strike out from the crowd with not just their ways of thought, but with their appearance as well?
Aesthetics are an especially important aspect of life for not just the philosopher, but for the magician and everyday man alike. Do the rewards of conformity, smashing down our inclination towards rebellion, outweigh the cost of losing control over one’s outward aesthetic? I think not.
It’s no secret, we as humans are drawn to the grandiose, the grand, and the opulent. That momentary lapse in normal lung function we experience when confronted with the majesty that is a gothic cathedral or century old skyscraper is engraved in our DNA. We like the aesthetic of glory. For the more devilish of us out there, the apocalyptic, grave-like setting of a film like “The Crow” or the cold, frigid guitar tone of a Bathory track just sets the stage for us, enveloping us in an atmosphere of doom and gloom.
Regardless of your background or interests, we have all got an aesthetic that speaks to us, one that can lend meaning or direction to our lives when caught up by the monotonous nature of our daily lives.
To many, myself very much included, visual expression of ourselves, that artistic get-up comprised of the things I find most captivating about this life, is priceless.
If this aspect of our lives holds so much value, why then would we abandon it in the pursuit of living in accordance with natural law? Is conformity with the herd the only conceivable form of measuring whether one’s lifestyle is natural or not? If we are to take the appeal to authority fallacy at all seriously, then the answer would have to be no. Just because the majority dress, look, believe, speak, read, or write a certain way doesn’t at all validate what it is they’re doing.
Another component to the reasoning put forth by Seneca that need be addressed is the way he so easily disregarded a vital piece of the puzzle as far as living naturally is concerned, staying true to yourself. While rebellion from the herd is a natural, albeit potentially dangerous phenomenon, repression of the self has proven to be deadly in more than one case.
From suppression of sexuality to being bullied for wearing this shirt or that skirt, when we are put in a box and forced to deny who we are, what life are we to live?
In far too many cases involving people who were put in a box by the herd, the answer was no life at all.
If we can’t, or aren’t allowed to stay true to who we are aesthetically speaking, then how can we wish to reach our physical, mental, or philosophical peaks?
The importance of visual stimulation from the perspective of the artist, creative, or magician cannot be understated. What pleases, motivates, or excites us visually lends a helping hand in cultivating new ideas in our heads. The influence of all five of our senses have on the creative process lest not be forgotten, as to do so would again be like putting yourself in a cage. Philosophy and art aren’t simply ways or tools for looking at the world around you.
They are ways of dissecting whatever few truths we come across throughout our lifetime, beacons of light among the drab, unanswered questions surrounding everything else life throws at us.
Like the gift of reason humans have that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, the ability to see and perceive too is a gift from the gods.
There can’t exist a divide between the philosopher’s mind and body, they are one. To disregard the need of the mind to express itself outwardly in order to appease the crowd is both unnatural and potentially detrimental to the philosopher, magician, and everyday man alike. While self-induced suppression can have its disciplinary benefits, to see it as a solution or gateway to a higher truth is unnecessary and even counterproductive.
Instead, fulfill the mind and spirit through active immersion in the aesthetic of your choosing, and in-so-doing, you embrace natures cycle with open arms. Conformity, whether on the inside or outside, is not the answer. Pave your own path through natures wasteland. Grace mountaintops, graveyards, and back roads, like a wolf high on fire and drunk on wisdom. Use the aesthetic that calls to you as a means of understanding yourself, as well as the world you live in. In this expression, find your meaning, your truth.
