ideas
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“Good artists do not copy, great artists do not steal.”
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“The difference between an artist who finds sales and someone like Vincent van Gogh, who never did, is that van Gogh quietly changed the world—while others simply passed through it.”
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Simon Sinek: Start With Why
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“What I never wanted in art – and why I probably didn’t belong in art – was that I never wanted viewers. I think the basic condition of art is the viewer: The viewer is here, the art is there. So the viewer is in a position of desire and frustration. There were those Do Not Touch signs in a museum that are saying that the art is more expensive than the people. But I wanted users and a habitat. I don’t know if I would have used those words then, but I wanted inhabitants, participants. I wanted an interaction.” — Vito Acconci
In January 1972, Acconci staged one of the decade’s most notorious performance art pieces at the Sonnabend Gallery in SoHo. Gallery visitors entered to find the space empty except for a low wood ramp. Hidden below the ramp, out of sight, Acconci masturbated, basing his fantasies on the movements of the visitors above him. He narrated these fantasies aloud, his voice projected through speakers into the gallery: “you’re on my left … you’re moving away but I’m pushing my body against you, into the corner … you’re bending your head down, over me … I’m pressing my eyes into your hair.” Seedbed was a seminal work that transformed the physical space of the gallery through minimal intervention to create an intimate connection between artist and audience, even as they remained invisible to one another.
Vito Acconci
Seedbed
1972
Gelatin silver print
7 7/8 x 11 11/16 in.
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Childhood Trauma Influence
Childhood experiences, especially traumatic ones, can shape how people see the world, how they relate to others, and how they view themselves. It doesn’t necessarily define them forever, but it often becomes the foundation they either build on or try to rebuild from.
Let’s break it down a bit more—how childhood trauma shapes a person’s identity, behaviors, and emotional life:
1. Emotional Blueprint
- Childhood trauma can teach a child that the world is unsafe, unpredictable, or that they must suppress emotions to survive.
- As adults, this often shows up as anxiety, depression, difficulty trusting others, or emotional numbness.
2. Sense of Self
- Kids internalize what happens around them. If they were neglected, abused, or constantly criticized, they may grow up with a damaged self-image, always feeling “not good enough” or unsure of their worth.
- This can lead to perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-sabotage, or a fear of failure.
3. Attachment Styles
- The way caregivers interact with children creates an internal “template” for future relationships.
- Secure attachment = trust, openness, balance.
- Avoidant or anxious attachment (often trauma-related) = fear of intimacy, clinginess, or emotional withdrawal.
4. Survival Mechanisms
- Children develop coping mechanisms—like dissociation, hyper-independence, or overachievement—to deal with trauma. These often become long-term patterns that are hard to recognize or break as adults.
5. Core Beliefs and Identity
- Trauma can implant deep-rooted beliefs: “I am unlovable,” “I have to earn love,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “I’m always in danger.”
- These beliefs shape personality traits, career choices, friendships, romantic relationships—even how someone talks to themselves internally.
6. Repetition Compulsion
- Some people unknowingly repeat traumatic dynamics in adult life—choosing partners or environments that mirror their childhood pain—as a subconscious way to “redo” or resolve it.
7. Creative Expression or Empathy
- On the other hand, trauma survivors often develop heightened sensitivity, creativity, empathy, and depth. Many artists, healers, and deep thinkers come from painful early life experiences.
If you’re thinking of this in terms of healing, transformation is very possible. Therapy, self-awareness, and safe relationships can slowly rewrite those scripts.
How does it shape the way we make decisions or express ourselves creatively as adults?
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“If you let other people’s vision get between the world and your own, you will achieve that extremely common and worthless thing, a pictorial photograph.”
Paul Strand
Wall Street, New York
1915
printed 1976–1977
10 1/8 × 12 11/16in.