“The only way to live and be an artist is through positive emotions”

Interesting however the philosophy does not account for problem of opposites and consciousness. (we could never be conscious of the experience of cold if hot was not also experienced nor ‘know’ when the experience of cold is experienced with a associated positive emotion or negative one)

Good and bad are not two sides of the same coin but exist together within each other… and depending on level of perspective actually merge and disappear… there is no good or bad…

The same experience that is good and associated with positive emotion one moment can be experienced as bad and associated negative emotions in the next.  Or even more complex a good experience that is associated with a negative emotion… (An artist might try to capture that)

“For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Shakespeare

You beg the question: what is a negative or positive emotion?

Many would argue that emotions in and of themselves are neither negative or positive but it is how we respond or react to them that might be labelled as positive or negative.

Another issue is the problem of objectivity, subjectivity and semantics when it comes to experiencing good and bad and our attempts at communicating that experience while associating the experiences to positive or negative emotions.

Some might argue that Artist goal is to transcend language/experience and confront the viewer/self with the tensions between the objective and subjective experience of the good and the bad – evoking both “positive” and “negative” emotions which are neither “Good” or “Bad” but information.

That an Artist (we are all artists) might experience ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ emotions does not make him or her any less of an artist. Instead the experiences would inform their work and doing so add depth and maybe even meaning.

Perhaps “The only way to live and be an artist is transform all negative emotion into positive emotion. No longer viewing the negative as negative but positive, its all good… however such a transformation itself would end the experience of emotion associated to the experience… which I guess the person might experience as a “positive” emotion of contentment?