Anart Lecture Caught inbetween a Dying Riverside Tree and a Discarded Campus Bench - SCP Foundation

Well, I think we're good to go.

So, I'm Anton Legler, the one in charge here. Standing next to me is Yang. She will be helping me, and give you instructions from time to time. Technically I'm a professor, but you don't have to call me that. I want this to be casual, which would be better for what we're here to do.

Ha! She says that, but if there are degrees and faculties for anart, she will surely make a professor. A good one. She was one of my best students, and I hope you will turn out more like her.

Now, let's get to the point, shall we. Yes, this is a studio for the teaching of extraordinary art, as you were previously informed by the various people that introduced you here. Even if you weren't, surely you noticed something unusual by travelling to a non-existent room and coming out of a painted door.

The hell you mean "small and shitty?" Yes, I can hear you perfectly clear, I made this small and shitty place mind you, it is part of my art creation. If you say something, I will know. If you say something again, I'll make sure you exit out of the windows. They go somewhere as well. You wanna find out? No? Then shut up.

And no, I don't think you need a grand cathedral to learn, or put it another way, your petty skills don't warrant it yet. Since you have come here, you better learn to put the grand ideas and messages you heard from other people that you don't even properly understand aside. Because we are going to start with basic, small things here, and the last thing I want is you lot getting preachy or deeply philosophical in your first assignment.

All good? Good. Now as you can see, by that corner, there are plenty of art supplies. Paints, clay, wood, and all the other stuff I could think of. So go there, pick something you're comfortable using. And no worries, they’re not gonna run out. If what you're looking for is not there, then you will just have to settle for the second best. But you can certainly bring your own stuff later on.

Yes Yang. Gotta forgive an old professor for not being up-to-date some time.

Found what you want? Good, good. Uh, what's that?

…

Oh right, I guess we'll have to get that out of the way.

I'm NOT teaching you to use magic here. The art supplies are not magical because I'm not a wizard. I don't know jack about that. And the reason I don't say "exploits" is that the materials you will be using are perfectly normal materials. The studio does replicate them, as part of its purpose, but no, you're not working with things already abnormal. Bring anomalous stuff here and you get defenestrated.

So whatever wrong information about this studio you got, let me just make this clear. As much as I… respect some of my other colleagues who use magic as a component of their art, there is, for me, a fine line between art made from reality-twisting materials, and art created to be reality-twisting. And all I'm willing to, or can teach is the latter.

Well, I have never been a demi-god, and this has worked fine for me, thank you very much. And last time I checked, Yang is also a perfectly normal human being, so this shouldn't impede you either.

There will be no chanting wizards, no summoning circles, and yes, you can create art that breaches the laws of physics with bare hands and no inherent ability. Everyone can do it, and it has been proven with this studio itself and all these paintings Yang so eagerly attached to the walls.

How? I mean, isn't that what you're here for?

If you're disappointed that magic is not going to happen, then sure, leave. If you've now decided to stay and see how normal humans can create miracles out of the ordinary things, then good. I believe we can finally begin.

Why don't you all look at the art supplies you now have. Make art out of that. I'm sure you have some sort of experience, since you found yourself here. I don't care how skilled you are, that's not really that relevant. If you want that kind of improvement, go to a studio not suspended between places.

Before you start, I want you to think about yourself. More specifically, emotions, reactions, and feelings you have. Then, choose one particular emotion, and channel that into your work. Think about that, and what provoked that emotion when working on your thing. Think about how that can properly manifest in your work, or how it can be best represented.

I don't care what exactly the emotion is, because it doesn't matter.

If you're enjoying this beautiful sunny day, think about how the sun shines down and how the birds chirp between branches. Think about what is the best way to convey that feeling. Think about how to showcase that one particular scene in your head.

Just things, anything that has an impact on your personally. Scenes you remember, people you cherish, hell, even food you like counts.

I mean, if you hate me and this small and shitty studio, then channel that hate and I dunno, create a twisted mockery of my face?

Why though? Because this is the secret. This is how you create anart, how you shake reality. In the process of channeling your thoughts, first as simple as emotions, then more complex like specific ideas, you're going to eventually, find something. Something that you will feel that is just right. Not for any others, but you yourself. And if you follow that, your creation is going to come together and you find the line that links everything. And then your ideas will flow furiously into your work as if a blockage is lifted. You will even find yourself have very little control over what is happening, only your subconscious at work. But that's how it is. Because then, something extraordinary may happen.

And that's how I do it. How Yang and a lot others do it. We call the thing, no, that particular feeling, that state of mind, Flow. Because that's exactly how your art moves forward, like a stream, like a river, or even a waterfall. It's the thing that washes over you.

I can't find a better word myself.

I mean, there are different approaches to this, and slightly different settings for different forms of art. Things like maybe writing, performance that I can't really properly teach here. This is but one way to access the Flow. I mean Yang would argue that letting your mind wander is way more natural than trying to focus on one thing.

But then again, she produces art pieces like a machine so I wouldn't take her suggestions.

Do not mistake this as the only way to do it. I'm just trying to simplify things here for you newbies, because starting off with a bunch of complicated ideas aren't necessarily good, and even dangerous at times for our line of work.

So if this doesn't work out for you, it's okay. Don't stress out or force yourself, that wouldn't be good. We will be trying different methods in the future and I will make sure everyone gets there.

The most important thing is, you have to see that art is not trying to prove a point to some other people — you can do that, sure, but fundamentally, you're expressing your own ideas and emotions. And that's what matters.

I can go on about how the end result may not be what you're expecting, and especially for newbies like you who will have little say in this matter. That can be changed, sure, but that would be more advanced stuff after you get to enter that state of mind. So let's not diverge into interacting with the audience at this point.

Here, I will first teach you to reach that particular Flow, and then maybe how to redirect it and even control it to a degree to get what you want. And you will eventually be able to, if you stick with me.

Ah, of course you're not gonna succeed on the first try. If you do, you might as well walk out of this studio instead of listening to an old man grumbling about what anart is.

Now, why don't you finish working on your pieces, and then we will proceed from there.

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