Pixiq

When I was photography major in undergraduate school, I had to attend a mandatory class that did not make any sense to me at all.  I believe that every student that took the class thought that the professor was a nut and probably had the same response to his teaching ability as I did. Every class, he spouted the same statements week after week after week. It was so annoying to me that on more than a few occasions I decided that I would not go to his class. I did not have time for his nonsense. The subject of every one of his lectures was about making bread. I thought it was absolutely irrelevant to what I was there to learn. As an artist, I could not fathom what bread had to do with anything I was interested in learning or what it had to do with anything except making something to eat.

It wasn't until a few years later, while working on my own artistic projects, that I finally realized the full meaning of what this professor was trying to convey.

He was speaking in a metaphorical sense about something we all should be mindful of. The art of making bread is a great way to teach the way to do anything in life. The metaphor of making bread can be essential to the work of any artist. When we are involved in the process of making bread and we want to make the best bread possible, we become totally engrossed in the process.

First, we decide to make bread. This is usually because we have a desire for making it. In our minds we begin to taste it even before we do anything. It is a goal that we want to achieve because we understand the outcome and we know that it is good. We plan the making of our bread and we gather all of the best ingredients together that will go into making it the best bread possible. We use the best flour, yeast, and oil. We find the salt and sugar and other ingredients for our type of bread and we gather the right utensils and bowls.

In the effort to make our bread as good as possible we make sure that all the ingredients are added in the correct quantities. We carefully stir the ingredients together. We turn out the dough and knead it into a smooth and consistent ball. When it is just right, we form it into loaves and carefully place them into pans. At times we play with the shapes. We prepare the oven and heat it to the prescribed temperature. Once the oven has reached the right temperature, we place the loaves into the center of the heat. We sense the exchange of energy that envelopes the loaves as we begin to realize the potential of our work. We watch and wait as the loaves rise and the crusts brown. We begin to experience the breads aroma. We watch as they rise in the heat. We watch and we wait. When the crusts reach a certain point of brown and they are baked, we remove the loaves from the oven and place them out to cool. We sense the results of our efforts as a tangible entity transformed by our desire to create and to fill our need for substance. They look wonderful and the aroma causes us to salivate and we want to devour what we made. We look at the bread in appreciation and take pride in our creativity. We give thanks for its being. We slice it into pieces or tear it with our hands. We taste it and eat it and it provides us with sustenance. We gain pleasure from what we created. We share what we have made and it becomes us. It is us! It is soul!

Metaphor is a way of learning and a way of seeing a parallel meaning in our understanding of life. It is also a way to communicate complex theory into tangible explanations. It is a form of signification, a conveyor of meaning. It is something we can use to produce our art as well as include within the art. 

I believe that the professor whom I once despised is responsible for teaching me this great lesson in creativity and life. I owe him my apologies and my thanks. His determination to drive this concept home finally became a mantra for my life. The fact that it took awhile to sink in is my fault. The fact that it finally did is my reward. I will be forever grateful to him and for his technique. From the moment I realized his meaning, I have given my best efforts to make the best bread in everything I do!

Please read all my posts on Pixiq.