The Essence of Triangularity

The Essence of Triangularity by John Martin

The picture above was done by a young man of about 18. I described to him how much I disliked Math, but thought my Algebra instructor was amazing, because she was so enthusiastic. The instructor's passion for her job made me want to understand what she was talking about. She once uttered the phrase, "the essence of triangularity," and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. John took that phrase and drew it out for me as we sat in the middle of the most tedious History lecture ever spoken aloud. I thought he may end up going into architecture or engineering, but instead, I see him from time to time on the news, doing his job as the spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

I thought of that idea drawn out more than 20 years ago, as I've ruminated over another idea that has been running through my head for a while now. The idea I am stuck on has to do with the convergence of art with mental illness and with psychology. The way the three interconnect and flow one from the other. The chicken/egg question is, does mental illness help an artist create - or is art the torture that becomes the catalyst for mental illness. Psychology, not being a hard science, is almost an art form when applied skillfully. Also, many psychological tests use artistic expression and the subjective judgement of the clinician to unlock the secrets of the subconscious mind; just as art is often used as therapy to help express the inexpressible. I don't have any theories about this idea. It's still just a thought swimming around in my skull, taunting me with the interconnectedness of everything, but leaving me hanging on the cusp of nothing.