Great article on Damien Echols and his take on how art can be a magical and transformative experience for the artist. As Magicians we are all creating the world around us with every breath, and I found Mr. Echols insights on art beneficial to my own understanding of the creative process. Among other things the article says:
The talismans are part of Echols’ ongoing devotion to Western magic (he follows the traditions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an British order from the late 19th century).
“Salem” is an homage to how the Massachusetts town, infamous for its own witch hunts, now embraces outcasts. “We want to show that something of beauty can come from horror,” he said.
Echols said people are always surprised he doesn’t run from the thing that made him a target in that 1993 case. In 2012, he wrote a book about his death row experience (“Life After Death”), and he still does public speaking engagements — but he wants to shift focus away from his time behind bars and on to art and creative collaboration. He may even write a book on magic.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-damien-echols-art-show-20160323-story.html
