Donald Brennan
Aspiring to live authentically
This website was originally one that I used exclusively to showcase my art (more about that later). However, over time it became more and more obvious to me that my ´Purpose´ or perhaps one of them, is to express myself not only through my art but as a reflection of my life as a whole. Although I have a section labelled ´Biography´ which is expanded upon further in the section ´The Journey´ (details of my professional life) , I guess overall this website is a kind of ´auto-biography´ or a collection of essays on points of personal interest, which by extension is a partial reflection of me.
Maybe, sharing in this manner, is just another form of creative expression. Think of literature, poetry, performance art and contemporary installations. Just as art is said to be subjective with it having a personal impact on the individual viewer, might it be possible that this website as a creative endeavour, may also impact differently on those who see it just as any other form of artwork - A Virtual Installation? Time will tell.
Without wanting to sound arrogant or full of myself, I would be flattered if my experiences, thoughts and observations, might inspire, at least for some to search for their own ´truth´ or authentic life. Or perhaps, serve simply as a talking point, a trigger for discussion. Personally, I´ve had many ´ah ha!´ moments through talking with others. I love a good debate or discussion that challenges me and makes my brain light up with curiosity. I´m not saying I´ve got it sussed, just that it intuitively feels like I´m walking on my right path for now and there´s so much more to discover.
So here I am, many miles away from my home in Dublin, making a new life in the south of Spain. Aspiring to live my Authentic life, as I like to call it. That is not to say it wasn´t real before hand but the term for me adds a hidden depth to the million dollar question, "What is the meaning of life"? There is not one answer but in a nutshell I feel it is buried deep down in how you live it both mentally and physically. Of course it goes without saying that for me, there is a spiritual dimension too which has been a fundamental part of my journey as far back as I can remember. I was raised Christian (Roman Catholic) and I´ve been Buddhist now for over 15 years.
Optimum viewing
I realise that this site is somewhat text heavy in parts as it has been created to be more of ´a read´. In addition to the short essays (Ok, I know I can be a bit verbose at times, but that´s me being authentic!) and images, you´ll also find short videos, voice recordings, art galleries, virtual art exhibitions, useful links to further expand the discussion or provide extra information on certain topics and hopefully more as time goes on. For this reason, for optimum viewing, I would recommend using a larger screen if you can.
An interesting philosophy I recently discovered, which has made a profound impact on the way I look at life on all levels is that of the concept of ´Integral Theory´. A term coined by the renowned 20th century philosopher, Ken Wilber, who developed his model AQAL to explain how all aspects of our lives and environments are mutually inclusive (click here to discover more).
In a similar vein, another great 20th century and somewhat controversial philosopher, Martin Heidegger, described the idea of an ´Authentic life´ as being ´real´. Where we take responsibility for our actions and choices if we are to be truly free and to reach our fullest potential. Even if, and it is a likely price to pay, this freedom can cause us to be at times anxious.