Where are all the Eurasian-American Artists and Afro-Eurasian-American Artists

[J.M. Matthews]

So damn lonely. There's a lot written about Europe and Asia and Africa, but hardly anything is written about people with heritage from both or all three...

How the hell am I going to know what my natural art or writing style might look like if there are no fellow artist??

No racist or xenophobic comments, please.

Edited July 15, 2018 by J.M. Matthews

[mthor]

This is the kind of question we used to debate over a bong when I was in college.

And my response is, why does it matter? You write as an individual, not as a racial/ethnic collective.

[J.M. Matthews]

Well, that is kind of true. But If you ask me, I do believe that national art and writing styles have a "spiritual unconscious" element to them.

When we talk about national style like American, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, There seems to be some kind of spiritual collective in artists of certain nationalities.

French artists are most powerful when they draw like French Artist

Russian Writers write most powerfully like Russian Writers.

In American Academia, we're taught that every person is unique, but I've always felt artists draw most like what's in their DNA on a spiritual and unconscious level.

I know this idea might be controversial or provocative, or disputed, but I think in terms of art and writing conforming to the national style of one's heritage can help one find a creative voice. 

This strikes me as an Asian or European way of looking at things, but then again, it goes back to my theory.

Feeling a spiritual kinship to certain nationalities and ethnicities is okay. That could very well be you hidden DNA telling you something psychological and revealing something about you.

If an American feels a kinship towards the Japanese artists and culture, how do we know he or she wasn't Japanese on some minute DNA level, or in a past life?

Edited July 15, 2018 by J.M. Matthews

[mthor]

I don't do art, but I will say that Dostoyevsky=/= Solzhenitsyn=/= Bulgakov=/= Radzinsky. Four writers, with totally different styles and totally different messages. None of them write like Russians, they write like people who want to share their individual visions. Not Russians. Humans.

[J.M. Matthews]

Honestly, I think in terms of Asian and American culture, Asia tends to be much more biased than Westerners in favor of national identity and heritage. I don't know WHY nationality matters so much to the international community. I just know that's how they've viewed it for a long time.

[mthor]

So buy an abandoned oil rig, declare yourself a sovereign nation, and write like no one has ever written before. Then you can flout nationalist conventions of literature. (And really confuse critics.)

[J.M. Matthews]

Well, I'm not preaching nationalism, at least not in my own mind. 

The definition of Eurasian after all means "of more than one nation-continent."

The reason I'm interested in national styles is that I'd like to learn more about each individual national style, each on its own before I go about borrowing from or combining national styles. 

I've read numerous books on Asian and Japanese culture, and, one part mentions "Asian National Pride", meaning Asians care a lot about "National Pride". Is it nationalism? Maybe, but I don't think Asians view it that way. They just want to glorify their own culture. Asian Pride is to Asians what Patriotism is to North Americans.

As for me, I confuse a lot more people than just critics! lol

Edited July 16, 2018 by J.M. Matthews