{"id":35997,"date":"2024-02-20T17:23:32","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T01:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35997"},"modified":"2024-02-21T05:21:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T13:21:57","slug":"breaking-news-vincent-van-gogh-chops-off-his-ear-in-frenzy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/breaking-news-vincent-van-gogh-chops-off-his-ear-in-frenzy\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking News! Vincent van Gogh Chops Off His Ear in a Frenzy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"starry<\/a>

Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman<\/p><\/div>\n

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December 23, 1888<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was he too emotional, trying too hard, not asking the right questions, or living in an either\/or mindset?<\/em><\/p>\n

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In my research of creative communities, I’m learning how artists and writers from the past have shaped creativity for the present. Vincent van Gogh is an artist I stumbled upon, or maybe he stumbled upon me. I wasn\u2019t very interested in his art until I visited his studio in Arles, France in 2009. His room was very unassuming, so what was the deal with the ear? Was he too emotional, too mentally unstable? Maybe it was a quick fix for his inner turmoil. Or, maybe his imagination ran amuck during one of his creative sessions. Let\u2019s face it, even if you have never seen a van Gogh painting, you know the story of his ear.<\/p>\n

What would Edwin Friedman have said to Van Gogh? Which part of the gridlock system would Van Gogh fall under? Was he trying too hard or searching for answers instead of asking different questions? Maybe he fell into the either\/or mindset. If I can\u2019t be a famous painter, then I\u2019ll show the world how important I am! <\/em><\/p>\n

Apparently, during a fight with Paul Gauguin, he threatened him with a razor before turning on himself. Shortly after, he handed his bloody ear to a prostitute, telling her to \u201ckeep this object carefully.\u201d[1]<\/a> Both being social outcasts, he apparently had a soft spot for prostitutes. Maybe his gesture was a way of saying, \u201cI understand your pain. Would you remember me as an ally?\u201d<\/p>\n

For the artist, imagination is tantamount to their creativity, but how does one keep a non-anxious presence? Van Gogh might have been on the treadmill of trying too hard because<\/em> he was a social outcast. Or maybe he was trying too hard not to fail. This was, after all, career #3, and throughout his career as a painter, he only sold one painting!<\/p>\n

It raises the question of whether imagination is a help or a hindrance? Here are a few pros and cons that are my takeaways from Friedman:<\/p>\n

PROS<\/h3>\n