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Elizabeth Burroughs is an Anti-Visionary with a Vision School. She is an Artist and an Elder in the art world.

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Much of this discussion takes place within the realm of Art, the unseen world encompassing our imaginations, personal and spiritual beliefs, and what is Sacred. It reflects my point of view. Does it resonate with you? What do I mean by vision, a visionary, a vision school, and what do you make of an Anti-Visionary’s Vision School?

 

Definitions:

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A vision school is a place to study visions brought into the physical domain as art.

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A visionary is someone with a vision based on beliefs held. A visionary may describe a new future, better or horrific. They may describe a political philosophy or a “fair” system, or a technological future that promises a wealthy or healthy populace. Modern visionaries espouse a “how-to” and have strong views on why. They have followers and are often booked for media events.

 

I am an Anti-Visionary.

I declare myself an anti-visionary because no one else will. I serve movement. I serve change. I belong to the world up ahead. It is my heart that holds my vision, not my head.

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While your community may name you a Visionary, you cannot crown yourself as such. When you do, I believe you reduce your power with this assumption, this self-proclaimed ascension. Most crown themselves for marketing purposes, to name skills to attract clients. We pay for this marketing with integrity. Real validation helps and self-doubt does not.

 

Visions.

What are they good for? As human beings we overcome limitations thru visions. Everyone has visions.  They are a gift. Visions connect us to everything, from universal to deeply personal truths. Visions are about potential, they are potent energy stories made of our personal history, our family lineage. They reveal who we are and who we think we are. They illuminate our memories and our collective memories, our relationship to the worlds we know in any form, universal creation stories, fears and brain matter chemistry. There is more because within the Sacred, there is guidance for our well-being and for healing from trauma, which ushers us to a healthy connection to Earth through our higher selves.

 

The crux of it is, that Visions to artists may be something more, something extra special-because as artists we serve our visions. By accepting this form of self-expression we come into a harmonious relationship with the culture of our own unique hearts. Through answering the call, our commitment deepens, our thoughts and hearts work in unity and we create astounding work: films, poems, songs, dances, music, writings, books, paintings, stories, concerts, and performances. Sometimes the artwork is so exciting we don’t recognize ourselves within it. The vision is standing all on its own.

 

The Still Point.

My advice to you is to recognize yourself as the still point, as the creator - artist who sees and acts within the vision’s potential because of an irrational drive to do so. Often when you give into the vision, you are transformed by a sudden comprehension and receive/achieve clarity. You are the most important factor; your still point is the center of your being. It is your uniqueness which grasps a new way of seeing, showing, or telling. Consequentially, you make art work that communicates to others in your language of Vision. You need not understand all of what you are capable of, not at all! It is a challenge to face our own gifts, to hand over what is needed to the impulse to create and to thrive as artists.

 

More on Anti-Visionary.

At my current age I am artfully eradicating my rationalism and freeing myself from cultural restraints and any negative definitions of being an elder. It is time to reset. I am curing myself. I am smoothing the way. The uninterrupted flow in my thoughts makes problem solving easier because my conscious mind is out of the way of my need to make art. The act of painting is simplifying my mental process and slowing me down. Though I am new to this form, this medium, I am accumulating enough breadcrumbs to follow and to use to create combustion and passion. The intensity is building “solid intuition,” literally, in my muscle and in a spiritual connection to source. I am raw but driven by trust and a focused intention. This feels like a good place to be.

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Where we find ourselves.

Often, we have been raised in inhumane ways so we are hurt in body and mind. Because of this we are functioning in in humane ways, we treat ourselves poorly and from that pool, much gets poisoned. In our current culture we are told and accept so many lies. They wear us down and we excuse ourselves from living the way we do. All of us. And that makes us mad, mad at ourselves, mad at each other and everyone else-mad at everything that has done this to us. To not understand how we have come to this and to be angry, makes us feel helpless. It refutes our gifts and our ability to heal. That is truly an irrational way to live, and it is destructive. I am not angry. At a spiritual gathering I said, “It is an honor to be a human being at this time.” I was surprised at myself. Where did that come from I wondered. Yet I knew I spoke a greater truth, one that is important to this world. Important to us humans, a detox from guilt so we can get moving.

 

I speculate that we are desperate to talk about what is Sacred to us, to share this discourse with contemporaries. It may raise questions such as: Can we reclaim ourselves, our meaning and our connection to purpose. For artists, can we connect to our creative visions and stand by them as a form of self-respect? Can we preserve their importance by demanding respect in context-in any form, in exhibitions, marketing, in price and equal representation.

 

Acknowledge that you serve your vision. It is a subconscious prayer that gives rise to a miracle. Something happened between your mind/heart and your hand and now the work exists. It’s before you. From immaterial to matter, it lives and breathes life into this world.

 

The great unfairness and what we endure as artists.

We are a truth telling community and support as artists is more than needed. The art we make, answers to the challenge of truth. Most often the success, or a modicum of fame, comes when the work is represented and actively being sold, that’s when everyone gets busy explaining it for the purposes of marketing the vision. Suddenly the artist, an often solitary person, is seen in the spotlight and like Schrödinger’s cat, the light changes everything, including all future visions. I know there are always exceptions to the rule, great galleries and artists who never disappoint.

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But most work is sold for a modest price initially. (30% or more goes to the representative or gallery and the rest to the artist.) It’s not much. With an exclusive arrangement with an agent/rep/ gallery the work is promoted and, possibly, through some remarkable opportunities it sky rockets in value. If you are lucky ,you sell successive work as high-priced collectibles. Once fame is established and you die, the prices of your work make a fantastic leap. At this moment anyone holding your original work wins the brass ring. This is not money you will ever see. Perhaps 75 years after your death, the copyright to your work moves from your estate, into the public realm and no one, except those who own originals of your work, will ever benefit from the increased value of your work. This is the current system.

 

On the institutions purveying art.

Institutions and art critics can collapse the vibrance and life in an artist's vision thru mystification and elitism, thru dampening words, descriptions and comparisons. Much of this is an aspect of marketing. From an artist’s point of view, separating the art and the viewer limits access and curtails the vision.

 

If your work is a blaring anti-institutional emetic, the process of trading on whatever gave rise to your vision can be exploitive. For instance, if your vision is about an aspect of women and sexual violence then it matters if the board of a museum exploits women in this way. It can be quite personal. You may feel assaulted when your person hood is made transparent to the public as a means to explain your work. You may find it difficult to tolerate a feeding frenzy when you are just doing what artists do.

 

Introducing the Burroughsology Salon

 

The Burroughsology Salon is a salon that will host online meetups every other month beginning in August 2024.

 

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The Vision School

A visual History of
Elizabeth Burroughs

A Visual Biography
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Dad.

One plus.

Mum.

One = 3

A very excited point of view. Lots of giggling

Raised by horses. Little Lisa in love with Alka-Seltzer.

Late 60's high school. Rebels with a clue. Fighting the dress code, racism, war...

A job at Canada's news magazine. Yay. Earning $12,000  year!

With a  major cover story, my skill in the editorial field grows.

Work as a photography director merits awards and recognition.

Air Canada, Dr. Bob by Edward Gajdel.

Move from Toronto to NYC

My stint working with Francis Lear and my dearest friend, Bruce. Here, we celebrate Danny's birthday in his office.

Poser in my cubicle

First move from Chelsea down to the Seaport, NYC. So restful down there. View from the window.

Working with great talent and human being, Ken Schles on cover commissions. I worked with a great list of photographers. I am grateful to them all.

Ali was beloved by the world and a remarkable spirit.

In the beginning and thank you.

Working with Katie Couric and many celebs on her cover.

Fatima, and extraordinary person great talent and right hand for all we had on our plate at Newsweek

At Ali's Ranch outside Chicago. The right combination of people on a job always made joyful magic. Michael taking a picture of James, Melvone, Ali the cover subject a second time, Lisa and Newsweek writer, John.

Shaq and Quincey cover by the fantastic Andrew Williams

Met Thomas. New Life is coming.

Teaching in NYC. 

911 changed everything.

Marry beautiful Thomas.

New Mexico Land, mysticism and mystery

New life, and study with Maria Yraceburu

New Mexico gives rise to more black and white images and the movie, Earth's Voices

"sandpainting" still life. Significant. Celebration

My Blue Period

Life, can be simple. Zeekie with the lake behind us

Family, with my niece, Kim at the women's march, anticipating Trump-ism.

A labour of love and justice. Celebrating and educating kids and museum visitors.

My Hubbard side of the family were abolitionists. Hubbard House was a major stop on the Underground Railroad on the Great Lakes

Lisa and Ron of Military Images. We install a never before seen collection of portraits of African American soldiers fighting for freedom. A now permanent exhibit

One person show of my 26 large fine art prints at Western Reserve Conservancy in Cleveland.

Began studying the violin at 62. My mind loves it, not so much my neck

2.5 months in New Zealand, 2018. Me, Milford Sound on the bow of a ship.

Swimming with the Whale People in Tahiti's, 2018

Passion Returns. The Art Adventure comes full circle

Gathering the Beloveds.  Painting with Jill helped me put brush on the canvas.

Sketching sculptural ideas

Covid. One of San Jose's cool downtown art galleries. Standing in front of work by Ebony G. Patterson

Checking out San Francisco art and music scene with the brilliant Sue.

Showing my collage, Pink Wolf in

San Francisco

Art School. Video & Film. And starvation after art school

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Macleans goes on Strike. I am part of the team negotiation with management. I become a Union Steward afterward. The post-strike party is at my studio in downtown Toronto 

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