Lauren Fensterstock
Heart of Negation, 2022
Glass, Quartz, Vintage crystal, and mixed media
54x54x14in
The Entangled Muse
"Historically, the muse is something outside of yourself that inspires. She brings new knowledge. Making provides the medium for connection to physical materials. We can enter the studio in an ego-based approach, and manifest what we already know. Or we can engage beginners mind and allow the muse to present something new and unforeseen. I argue that what has commonly been described as a flow state or muse's inspiration, can be explained through Buddhist notions of interbeing. Artists create shared consciousness with their materials. Rather than forcing material to their will, a flow state allows equitable shared consciousness between artists and their material, in which the artist is able to learn from and enact the agency of things. " -- Lauren Fensterstock