I have an idea to look at the way that ‘self-help’ books try and encourage or discourage people to do certain things. I will put these in my development of performance and hopefully find a way of going against them. But, let me guess, you’re saying to yourself but that’s the purpose of these books to go against your lifestyle; now how can you go against something that is specifically developed for that function?
Well, I say, you can.
In a sense they are controlling you but in a way that you don’t know about.
Because they use this word a lot: ‘courage’
But why go tell people this is the particular or the right way of living?
The Independent has an Article called ‘The modern fix: Do self-help books really work?’ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-modern-fix-do-self-help-books-really-work-7466554.html
“They all want us to understand how other people work. But you can’t understand how other people work because other people aren’t always comprehensible. And neither are you.”
I felt this quote was a good place to start as a stimulus for my project.
I feel this quote relates to me when I look at these books and when I try using them, half way going through one I just say to myself ‘FUCK it!” why am I letting someone tell me how to think, eat and practically breath. I live my life from rules I set not a £10.99 book that I volunteered to pay for and get from it a patronising dictatorship.
My feelings said by Julie Hall (businesswomen):
“There are people in life I called Dream Stealers,” she says, “people who don’t necessarily understand what you are trying to achieve. They can be difficult to ignore, but by picking up a self-help book, you can get back the power of your dreams and also your vision, and they can give you the courage and motivation to do whatever you want to do. They are my bibles.”
Like I said before, I have used one as a ‘bible’ and looked at some others briefly. My Bible was ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne and I thought it would make my life perfect. Alas, there is nothing that can be perfect, it’s a misconception. The Secret is being linked to the universe and that the universe can make you dreams come true just by asking it. The law of attraction.
Okay,
I am going to take that idea and run with it but what I will be running with is making my ‘universe’ which will be my performance. It’s as though what I want is miraculously going to come out of no where.
This is my concept. Final.