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eerieyore's review
5.0
This is one of those books that I wish I'd read sooner, but which probably came to me at exactly the right time. A thread of mysticism and the unknowable has always been sewn through my life, and the wielder of that needle has felt, to me, somewhat outside of my conscious awareness. There's something cynical to be said for relegating encounters with art to an external locus of control, of deriving meaning from supposed synchronicity, but regardless of how much analysis I try to apply to such things, I have always felt that there's something More at work, something I can't quite fathom.
To push away the concerns of the personal, though: at its core, this book is a re-imagining of the Muse, that image of the artist's angel-attendant, exterior to mortal concerns (and infamously fickle) - as demon. Not as the scorched and chthonic denizen of Hell that immediately leaps to mind, but as a thoughtfully considered and psychologically relevant counterpart to the ego. It is fascinating - and a tad disturbing - to conceive of one's own mind in this fashion, and some might even bridle at the notion, but Cardin renders thoughts and theories as useful outside of the spiritual, with multiple practical exercises to consider and eloquent, considered musings on creativity in general.
Along with providing a detailed history of the etymology for the concept of "demon/daimon" (as well as a re-interpretation of the common usage for the word "genius") to background his thinking, Cardin asserts that personifying the creative instinct can benefit the artist in a variety of ways, all of which can be aimed at relieving some of that pressure that most introspective artists can be subject to when trying to create. None of this, thankfully, boils down to a one-stop magic-wand solution - Cardin repeatedly puts emphasis on the necessity of practice and craft, while also offering personal anecdotes from his own life to better illustrate the possibilities inherent with the model of "demonic creativity."
But the true magic in this book comes from the pure, honest joy vibrating beneath the words. This is written by someone who loves what they do, and it shows. Some of the language in the text, and some of the overarching tone, is quite academic, which for me was delightful, but might put some readers off. This feeling, however, is leavened by the author's direct address of the reader, lending a gratifying and comforting effect that you are being viewed as a compatriot rather than a pupil.
Astonishingly, Cardin maintains a scholarly distance from the subject throughout, never once losing itself in the heady brew of its own gnosis. Indeed, he even takes the time to include those who may bridle at the very notions presented, with caveats along the way. To quote from his first chapter:
Currently, Cardin is offering this as a free download on his website - as he explains in his Afterword, at the behest of his own demon muse/creative self. It's rare that someone who has thought this deeply and this cogently about the creative instinct shares their thinking gratis, and I urge you to take advantage of it. I know that it's given me at the very least some new items to put in my writer's toolbox, and I greatly look forward to revisioning my creative approach, armed with what I've learned in its pages.
To push away the concerns of the personal, though: at its core, this book is a re-imagining of the Muse, that image of the artist's angel-attendant, exterior to mortal concerns (and infamously fickle) - as demon. Not as the scorched and chthonic denizen of Hell that immediately leaps to mind, but as a thoughtfully considered and psychologically relevant counterpart to the ego. It is fascinating - and a tad disturbing - to conceive of one's own mind in this fashion, and some might even bridle at the notion, but Cardin renders thoughts and theories as useful outside of the spiritual, with multiple practical exercises to consider and eloquent, considered musings on creativity in general.
Along with providing a detailed history of the etymology for the concept of "demon/daimon" (as well as a re-interpretation of the common usage for the word "genius") to background his thinking, Cardin asserts that personifying the creative instinct can benefit the artist in a variety of ways, all of which can be aimed at relieving some of that pressure that most introspective artists can be subject to when trying to create. None of this, thankfully, boils down to a one-stop magic-wand solution - Cardin repeatedly puts emphasis on the necessity of practice and craft, while also offering personal anecdotes from his own life to better illustrate the possibilities inherent with the model of "demonic creativity."
But the true magic in this book comes from the pure, honest joy vibrating beneath the words. This is written by someone who loves what they do, and it shows. Some of the language in the text, and some of the overarching tone, is quite academic, which for me was delightful, but might put some readers off. This feeling, however, is leavened by the author's direct address of the reader, lending a gratifying and comforting effect that you are being viewed as a compatriot rather than a pupil.
Astonishingly, Cardin maintains a scholarly distance from the subject throughout, never once losing itself in the heady brew of its own gnosis. Indeed, he even takes the time to include those who may bridle at the very notions presented, with caveats along the way. To quote from his first chapter:
"Important, crucially ... you don't actually have to believe any of this in a literal sense in order to feel its artistic-emotional pull and sense its marvelous explanatory power. It's possible to view the idea of the daimon as nothing more than a perfect metaphor that encapsulates a profound truth about human experience and allows us to work with it productively."
Currently, Cardin is offering this as a free download on his website - as he explains in his Afterword, at the behest of his own demon muse/creative self. It's rare that someone who has thought this deeply and this cogently about the creative instinct shares their thinking gratis, and I urge you to take advantage of it. I know that it's given me at the very least some new items to put in my writer's toolbox, and I greatly look forward to revisioning my creative approach, armed with what I've learned in its pages.
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