The artists of our own reality

What we call reality is simply what we are focused on at any given point in time and place. We place our picture of reality within the frame of our beliefs, and the picture we see is coloured by our perceptions. Of course, any picture frame – the boundary of our beliefs – is arbitrary, a set of limits we place around our image of reality in order to focus on that particular view. Hence, the faiths and spiritual traditions of the world are like the halls of an art gallery, where we choose to group certain styles and periods into genres.

However, the assembling of beliefs into categories is always subjective. And there is no limit to the possibilities for individual artistic expression, just as there are an infinite number of possible views on reality. For no two artists will use the same palette, or see quite the same perspective. No two frames will be quite alike and the style of painting will always vary. Some will see the world in abstract terms – dominated by shapes and numbers – while others might have an impressionist view – full of colour and fuzziness.

Can we ever say one artist is right and another is wrong? Can there ever be an objective reality, accurately portrayed? Is there even a reality “out there” that is separate from the consciousness and perceptions of the observer?

In the end, we must all be the artists of our own reality. We may compare paintings with others and experiment with different styles and frames in our search for an expression of personal reality that feels most authentic for us. And we should expect our view of reality to change all the time, as our palette of perceptions and the frame of our focus changes. For artists learn not only by practice, but also by playing with new colours and techniques, new materials and perspectives.

The question of reality for the artist, therefore, is not a question of accurate representation, but of trying to capture and express the infinite diversity of reality – the different vistas and views, changes in light and shadow, subtle variations in tone and hue. And when others view the reality we have created, they will not see or experience the same as we, the artist, do. Their interpretation and understanding will vary, even though they may appreciate some aspect of our work. For even as we view others through the lens of our own perception, so our reality also forms part of their paintings.

And perhaps what we call divine revelations or mystical experiences are those rare moments when we are able to step back and see the myriad paintings of all the galleries with the incredible possibilities they represent. Perhaps god is the mosaic of all our paintings of reality when they are seen as a unified picture.