An Interview with the great Britten
Have you ever witnessed something that made you feel beautiful and empowered? A moment of clarity that rendered your defenses incapable of response? I think it’s safe to say we all have these experiences in life at some point or another. Whether it be a divine moment in nature or simply a conversation we had with a stranger: the essence of these magical moments are what define the work of Britten.
If we could peer within the depths of our emotions, there’s a pretty good chance we would see images that resemble Britten’s astonishing work. To simply categorize her style as “abstract” would only meet the generic perception of the gen pop, for her work is an exquisite experiment flowing from intuition and pure experience. Britten’s work is currently being displayed around the world in places like India, Thailand, Portugal, Panama, London, Paris, Japan, New Zealand, Penang, and so many more! At the beginning of 2017, she had the opportunity to conduct a TED Talk on the subject of A.R.T. (Aesthetic Revolutionary Theory) which is HER theory, AND, one she believes connects all of humanity to beauty.
Britten is a beacon of inspiring light energy to say the least. Minutes after I watched her TED Talk, I walked to her studio in Denver for this interview. When I arrived, I stood in front of her paintings and began to cry. I immediately said, “Oh, man. I need to get my shit together”, to which she replied, “No, you don’t. Just let it happen.”
An Interview with the great Britten
MAD Art Magazine: In your artist video you said: “I don’t have any intentions other than to keep it pure.” What does “keeping it pure” entail and why is that important to you?
It means.. Allowing the art to flow through me and keeping my intentions open to allow that mystery to unfold and not manipulate it beyond its purity. Does that makes sense?
Yeah, like, letting it unfold naturally without taking it too far past that point of thinking too much.
Exactly
In regards to your creative approach: you claim that you have no control over what’s coming through. Can you talk more about that?
If I were to control it, it would be something different than it is. Everyone makes art for a different reason, someone could have a political statement, a personal statement, but, I make art because it feels good and I want to share that feeling. That moment in creation opens up so many possibilities and the whole world changes when you are in creation, everything seems possible, and I really can’t explain that with my mind, it’s an experience, and the art is just a documentation along the way.
The free flow of creation takes me to that universal place within myself that is beyond whatever is going with me personally, all the daily drama, it takes me so far beyond that, and I think that’s the level that we can all connect on, and I think that’s why I try to open that door. The only intention I have is to allow that universal light to shine through that we can all relate to.
I really appreciate your statement about art and how people don’t always need to know what something is in order to understand it. What do you think people can gain from the unknown?
Trust within everything. Trust within yourself, which is an echo of trust in life, which is an echo in trust in creation, which is an echo of trust in the future, trust in that you are exactly where you need to be in this moment, and that (trust) brings peace.
I noticed that a lot of the titles in your work seem to reflect prosperity and abundance can you reflect on why that is?
It kinda depends what I’m resonating with at that moment –how I name the painting. I feel like the painting can reflect something different to everyone and when I step back to actually view it I have a personal experience with it that maybe reveals a title. But, I try not to have that limit or put any boundaries on what someone else might experience with the painting, it’s simply an offering of what I felt when I looked at it and to open the door for others.
I want to know if there was a particular moment in time that inspired your positive outlook on life.
It’s been an evolution and I don’t know which comes first, the art, or me. I can’t separate my personal life from my art at this point, and I’m still in constant evolution. I think everything I do is a catalyst for that. I’m really not sure.
So… there wasn’t any ONE particular moment that REALLY transformed your evolution?
There have been several momentous times that I can recall of those “ah ha” moments of those awakenings, but I can’t say that it was one specific –well, maybe…. Yeah. There was one moment but it might be a little far out for you:
I had a moment in meditation where I really confronted all fears and chased that string back to the fear of death. And, I had a moment where I looked at it and I smiled, and I made a conscious choice to actually leap into this really dark abyss with full trust. So, that moment of confronting that darkest death, I jumped into it, completely trusting, and I would say that was a pivotal point in my life to go forward and express and serve as some kind of vehicle for evolution.
You state that: “art is my life and my life is my art”, but you claim it took you years to accept this fully. Why?
Duality, living in a world where we separate our soul from our everyday systems. So, it’s like the duality of expectation and what things are supposed to look like. Once I saw past that was when my life and my art started becoming one.
My favorite thing about you is your drive to help others discover their inner beauty. Why are you so passionate about that?
I want people to see their inner beauty because I want them to experience and discover themselves, when we, humanity, connect on a universal level of beauty to our authentic self, it can change the world. Why not?
ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.madartmagazine.com/single-post/2017/05/26/An-Interview-with-the-great-Britten
Matt Worldly
May 26, 2017