To VCA or not to VCA

by Mykl Lozin

In a heart of reason there is no failure, but there is an understanding of common ground and purpose for all concerned.  The pursuit of excellence through the arts is not an uncommon goal, nor is it an uncommon yearning within most people that you pass by every single day.   Yet we notice it less in others than we do in ourselves, and despite this heightened awareness of our own personal and immediate desires within familiar surroundings, we are quite alone among the masses with our dreams.

The call of psychology may not be what you may think it to be.  As artists you must be aware that an actor is not the person he/she portrays on stage regardless of skill, technique or method acting studies.  This likewise stands for musicians just as equally.

Sustainability in the arts is always a questionable enterprise once we breach the normal boundary’s that are held in place by the various institutions, governments and their pertaining laws.  Economics plays an important role, but not always in the way it is presented to us publically.  Education within the arts is always in a transition far more often than standardized academia ever could be.   What is happening in the arts is only a repeat of what has happened to all forms of educated thought and research.  It is highly scrutinized often censored and held back from general use until it conforms to the current power of control agenda.    Though the evidence is everywhere around you, most do not notice the subtle changes until it has manifested a permanent change to their daily routine.  By which time there is little anyone can do about it.   Because any protest now points to fact that you are disturbing the now accepted way of doing things.    Remember the Tia men Square massacre and more so remember the continued control of information about it to this very day.  Whenever a truth is revealed there will always be someone who suffers.  This, like music or law is but a language unto itself, and misinterpretation is a way of guarding those who hide behind the unseen curtains of power to rule.   When you hold all the cards it is easy to dictate the terms of implied freedom of expression.    Silence is a most powerful tool in controlling others opinions.   It is this very silence that they now wish to impose on aspiring artists of genius in expressional freedoms.  Cold and calculated, they will take no prisoners. Only converts to their war cry of continued oppression will be allowed to pass through their doors and walk the halls of their bloodied hallowed ground.

The most interesting disclosure about these current events is the plain and open facts of disorganization within the ranks of the power base itself.  But while you protest in the streets for your cause you protest for their cause also.     A paradox is in action via the manipulated thoughts and words on paper not yet made law.   The key they gave you was psychology.  I shall add one more for clarity in understanding their methods of control - history repeating itself.  So do not be fooled by the games they play on the unsuspecting, as it will cost you all dearly as past world events have clearly shown.    The value you place on yourself is not the same value that they place on your quality of life or any possible career options.

We do not have an altruistic government nor are we likely ever to see one.   The VCA was an experiment at best that sadly lasted only one generation, we must be thankful for that.  At least I am thankful for that, as I was a part of that generation.  But in truth, the doors it opened were minor compared to the ones I opened myself.  And this is the only psychology we must learn to endure, the dedication to the purpose of our craft.  Because our opinions of self outweigh those from others but it should never cloud our judgment in understanding the wisdom that comes from experiencing these things.  Remember they owe you nothing, so do not expect compensation for their errors of judgment in your artistic education.  You on the other hand owe yourself everything, so do not belittle your true self worth with false artistic pride.  As aspiring artists we need to be lost or consumed in the moment for performance, but not all forms of expression are useful or memorable.   Do not lower your standards to suit an ageing draconian society; their time is almost up as well. 

Seek out your mentors and study with them independently if it comes to that.  It is their experience and knowledge that you seek to implement into your careers anyway.   Study the psychology of performance but leave the Freud stuff on the shelf to collect more dust.  It makes an interesting reference but so does studying Kreutzer Violin Studies.   But in truth both are rarely performed on stage.

The action of interaction is always a concern to those whose preference is of separation.  Everything revolves around the idea of independence and separation; it’s the oldest of all stories and the basis for all forms of control throughout history.   The illusionary control is the unification principle, safety in numbers etc as a means of independence or majority.  If we really are a progressive society then we would not be having these or similar problems locally and therefore globally.  The evidence is as clear as is the psychology behind it.  So do not be fooled, for we are a free society in name only.   Controlling artisans is just a sure way to maintain their status quo.   This is why mediocrity has been lifted to star status and genuine talent often ignored and left to fend for themselves.   The music business industry was set up to precisely take control of the artist make no mistake.  They tolerate us because they need our beauty to lighten their dark places when they look within themselves.   But heaven forbid will they ever let us rule the world.

We are seemingly persecuted by virtue of association.  Thus we feel the effects no matter what the original cause.  If we can collectively study the source of intent we may then uncover much that we do not wish to either know or choose ever to participate in.   This single awareness or fear of truth holds back indefinitely our whole future human society.  Are we at their mercy then?  No!  This would imply that we have first an individual right of sovereignty, but alas Australia was not set up in this manner it is nothing like the original American model, and neither is the now modern America to its original.   So do not look for what is not there for it brings no joy to the performance.   They want us to suffer for our art, but that is not acceptable for aspiring progress.  There is enough poison on the shelves of supermarkets and the over exposed benign media without adding our good name to it. 

Do we progress in secret then?  If you understand the implied political and economic guidelines you will already know the answer to this statement.  Only the persecuted can truly understand those who persecute.  To illustrate this; a hangman has no real practical experience of his craft for obvious reasons.

So therefore the famous words: ‘forgive them for they know not what they do’ becomes a stark reality for co existence on a mind manipulated world.   We just label it politics, or religious beliefs, law, or schooled education.  It protects the fundamental flaw of all things from being discovered, corrected, or attempted logical balance.   Understand this; the call for psychology was a cry for help from the establishment themselves.  They cannot fix the problem, but they cannot let it continue either.  They are stuck.  If we follow suit there will be many student/teacher casualties.  If we turn our backs and not support the choice chosen before us we will all lose our future potentials to reacquire any point or sense of balance for a constructive artistic education.  In a world of constant change it is amazing how much we fight it. 

I cannot offer a solution but I offer a deeper understanding of the way manipulated control establishes precedents to bring about a tighter controlled change.  The hardest thing that I have found when interacting with people, students, teachers etc on all levels is their inability to consciously release the over control of pre programmed prejudice.   People fail before they begin because of this lack of self control in clear judgment and the results are overwhelmingly negative.  There is no new learning here, no room to breathe.  Trapped in a vacuum with only one point of view they choke their own life-force values in the constant stale air.  Do not misunderstand the great wisdom I pass on here.  When your teacher or mentor shows you how to do something and your response is verbal in ‘oh I can’t do that’ etc you are under the sub conscious control of pre programmed prejudice against yourself and the very reason why you are there in the first place.   Denial of ability is a death knell to accomplishment of long lived dreams.   It serves no purpose except to enslave you to your worst nightmare.  The first step in achieving anything is to be aware of your pre response mode of denial and to consciously catch yourself in the act of self put down.  You need to change the rules and the response.  You must learn to be prepared to correct the error of your thinking before you can perform honestly without fetter or confusion.

To quote Gandhi: ‘You must first be the change that you want to see in the world'.
                                    
So I say to you all now, show them what you can do, but do not over react to what they want you to do.  And remember that because this is happening now, it means that you are all part of a greater awareness, a greater level of expression, and therefore a greater level of achievement.  You are our future, now.  They cannot prevent it but they may try to slow it down.  They fear you, they fear what you can do on a global level.  Remember it is not the institution you belong to, it is the accomplishments that follow that you will be acknowledged for.  Time to bury the dead and move on.

You know the drill.  Now you must succeed in fulfilling the dream that is shared amongst you all.  
Respect yourself, respect your peers, and respect your audience.
Success is only ever just a thought away.  Discover the thought and you will discover yourself.



Mykl Lozin - VCA student 1975 to 79
Multi Award Winning Violinist, Composer, and Producer
 “Who’s Who in Australia” Qld recipient for Services to the Arts
GFA Teacher of the Year Aust/NZ