Today (I wrote this text on the 17th of August, 2024), I will write a few thoughts regarding contemplating artworks.
Works of art, with photographs, paintings, and pieces of music at the forefront, address seemingly only sight and hearing; however, contemplating artworks requires our awakened intelligence to work most closely with these two senses. For me, this intelligence is highly associated with imagination. I believe that intelligent people have open minds. They are curious about the surrounding world and about each work of art; they have doubts and questions. Indeed, contemplating artwork is a mental activity for all people. Still, it is not rather for ignorants with closed minds who cannot open their mind to other points of view and perspectives. Can I show examples of how I opened my eyes in my life?
Yes, I can present three examples:
1) The first one will be connected with art. Since I started doing regular street photography (October 2015), writing in the English language (May 2017), and managing the www.adammazek.com website (September 2017), I started to consciously know and feel that the aim of my life is not to sit on the desk +40 hours and do mundane financial jobs for my employers but to try to create something meaningful by doing activities as mentioned earlier. That’s how I open my mind and eyes to new, much broader perspectives. The aim of my life is not to earn money.
2) Since Christmas 2020 I started doing intermittent fasting. During all of my earlier years, I thought I must eat from dusk till dawn to be healthy. Now I know it is a bullshit. Since the beginning of July 2024, I have been dry fasting (I do not eat and drink anything [including water and coffee] until 7 p.m.). If I had a narrow mind, I would not change my eating habits, and my belly would become massive (today, I do not have a belly at all, and I feel better, healthier, and more powerful).
3) Since April 2021, I have started taking cold showers. Since the Fall/Winter 2021/2022 season, I have walked in summer clothes in freezing temperatures. Again, I do it for my health and well-being. I do not remember when I was ill the last time. For most years of my life, I was afraid of cold and avoided it as much as most other people. Now I know it was a mistake. I believe my intelligence helped me to open my eyes to this issue.
That’s how writing about contemplating works of art changed to show how I was able to open my mind and eyes toward new perspectives and challenges.
Still, I do not doubt that all the things mentioned in this text are well-connected in my head. After all, doesn’t the act of contemplating works of art increase one’s intelligence? I see all these processes and activities as one of the best ways to become a better version of myself than yesterday.
