THE ARTIST

Michaela Segar Brown

CULTURA ANIMI

The word “culture” is thrown around liberally. It can mean work culture, pop culture, consumer culture, youth culture, etc. The word requires a different more nuanced perspective. The word is derived from Latin, and is brought to attention from Cicero, in Tusculanae disputationes. He speaks of something called, cultura animi, a culture of the soul. Thus, this term originates from Ancient Greece. It is not only a precise but an enlightening term. 


“Culture is a means of improving the human being, not merely physically, but spiritually; it therefore signifies a process, one in which deliberation, knowledge, experience, and awareness all play fundamental part. It implies a clear sense of value, a sense of high and low, founded on a clear sense of principle, of human perfection and human imperfection. It implies effort over long periods of time – not the work of a moment, but rather of seasons, years, decades, even lifetimes. It implicates reason on the one hand (the deliberation and consciousness which is demanded in such effort) and nature on the other (the peculiar quality and kind of the soul in question)”….

…The word, culture, has been so redefined that we have lost sight of its precise and beautiful meaning. Culture is not meant to be a moment of spontaneous growth but of dedication, deliberate care, conscious development, and careful preparation of the same. 

“The word is taken today to indicate no judgement whatever; but in point of fact it is essentially a term of distinction, of elevation, of implicit and inevitable judgement and discrimination. Indeed, culture, as it was originally understood, was precisely a term of distinction, and for this could be regarded as objective.”

I aim to push myself, to constantly be striving for not only deeper artistic themes, but a deeper life. I have often lacked balance when it comes to health both physical and spiritual. True culture is putting effort into my work and my life over the course of time embracing my imperfection.

Quotations taken from:

(Leonard, J. B. (2018, November 13). Cultura Animae. Arktos.com. https://arktos.com/2018/11/13/cultura-animae/)

  • Yes and no… the act of throwing is relaxing if I am having a good throwing day… If I am having an off day, it’s incredibly frustrating. I find drawing on the pottery to be very relaxing and satisfying though. Glazing is however not relaxing… it is tedious and annoying. ;)

  • I have been throwing since 2019. I went to school for Studio Art, specializing in oil painting. (I do still do painting commissions.) However, I decided to take a pottery class in Junior year and absolutely fell in love with every part of it.

  • I throw in my guest room of my home. Not ideal for safety regulations, lol, but we are working on those safe studio practices! I own my own kiln, and it lives in my outside laundry room. I am quite thankful for my little home studio. The dream is to enclose our carport and move the studio out there!

  • B-Mix 5 WC401 from laguna clay! It is a beautiful cream body that is so satisfying to work with. It has more grog than porcelain, but I find that it makes it more sturdy!

  • Not at all… in fact, my classmates all seemed to pick it up much quicker, to my frustration. But, I put in the time and determination, and it has grown easier over the years.

  • Painting is my first love! I still accept commissions although that is not as common as my pottery commissions. My preferred medium is oil painting. I specifically love portraiture painting.