Why studi0.dr?
The topic of this month's article has circulated my mind on multiple occasions. Do I continue writing about the healing properties of art, and its influence on psychological wellbeing? Or, explain why STUDI0.DR even exists in the first place? Opting for the latter, I’ve taken a personal approach to this article, with the hope to shed some light onto the concept of STUDI0.DR.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking who the F*** is STUDI0.DR ? (because, sameeee), well actually, if it wasn't for my own comprehension of the concept then I would find the messaging slightly subliminal. STUDI0.DR was created from the belief that the act of creating alchemises pain. The use of “DR” is not a self declaration of holding a doctorate degree, rather it refers to art as having a medicinal quality, both for the artist and those who perceive their work.
Dr Carl Jung, the author of several books regarding the active imagination, alchemy, and the unconscious mind, became a “mentor” of mine in 2016, upon discovering his series of “Collective Works”. In the proximity from then to now I’ve continually found myself gravitating toward his work. To be brief, Jung contributed a plethora of material to the field of Psychology, and Philosophy. During challenging periods of his own life Jung engaged with the arts as a way to gather ideas of his own inner disturbances, also encouraging his patients to do so. Last December I visited Jung’s house in Zurich, Switzerland. The whole experience was extremely moving. After reading his works religiously I was able to experience a part of his life outside the borders of a book.
The experience of the house was entirely magical, with the house being so beautiful, the study being full of delicate artifacts, and the surrounding grounds being right on the edge of Lake Zurich. During this experience I had my film camera to hand, and I thought why not create? If Jung has taught me anything, it is that creating is a form of liberation from our unconscious patterns, and is part of the individuation process. My trip to Switzerland confirmed to me to follow the passions that I once had as a child, which inadvertently healed parts of myself by doing so.
Consequently, the “DR” abbreviation is related to Jung’s influence and the medicinal value of creating, the STUDI0 side is more obvious, artists typically work in studios, and the encrypted “0” is purely because someone else had already claimed the URL when I made the website. I hadn’t researched it before, because my heart was already set on the name so https://www.studi0dr.com/ it became.
Oh, and lastly, the use of AU is symbolic to the alchemy, and the art of kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with embellishments of gold in order to highlight the imperfections rather than disguise them. The philosophy being that there is beauty within flaws, and a resilience in brokenness.