Creating Art

As an artist and painter, how I create and move from inspiration to a completed painting continues to remain a mystery to me.  In searching for the right words to describe the creative process, I love what Meister Eckhart says, "when the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image."



One of my acrylic paintings on canvas.  It looks like things are fluttering in the wind or across a pond.  I feel free and happy when I look at this painting.  The colors make my heart sing.

Joseph Campbell writes about the artist in terms of a spiritual journey: "The real artist is the one who has learned to recognize and to render what James Joyce has called the radiance of all things, as an epiphany or showing forth of their truth...It's important to live life with the experience, and therefore the knowledge, of life's mystery and your own mystery.  This gives life a new radiance, a new harmony and a new splendor..."

To me, it is pure joy to creatively express.  There is nothing like it.  I ask people to experience this for themselves and to make art without being concerned about how it will turn out…whether it is a painting, a drawing or a piece of pottery.  Just put your brush to canvas and move your arm and the rest will happen.  When I stand in my studio before a blank canvas and do just that I begin to enter a very still and sacred space that some call God.  I remain in awe.



Mistaking Something for Something Else

Oftentimes, in our limited perception, we mistake one thing for something else.  An example is seeing a coiled rope lying on the ground at a campsite at sundown and thinking it is a snake.  We could easily become frightened by such an illusion and run for cover. 

Our daily fears and anxieties are often triggered by similar misperceptions of what is. We simply see what we "believe" to exist. 


Is it cactus or the back of a porcupine?

How often do we see things in this manner?  How often do we label something only to find out later that our perception is completely erroneous?  How often do we cling to our certainties only to end up suffering the consequences from such limited perception?

I have to remind myself often that my thoughts and perceptions might be causing me problems and when I admit that, then I can begin to loosen my grip on what I think is right.  Like Mark Twain said, “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”
 



Oneness

We are all one.  Everything in the Universe is as intertwined as a spider’s web. A disturbance in one area is felt throughout the whole.  It is like touching a mobile - even the slightest touch causes the  entire structure to shift and move. 

Nothing or no one is separate.  We do not live or have our being in a vacuum.  Our individual actions do not occur in isolation like we might think.  No matter how big or small, everything affects everything else.  The mystics and sages of the world have been telling us this forever. The familiar story of the butterfly flapping its wings halfway around the world causing a reaction somewhere else far away comes to mind.



Steven and Alia at play

 

The concept of oneness doesn't make sense to us logically or when we think in a linear or conventional way.  This only perpetuates the idea of separation. However, if we quiet our busy minds and listen with our hearts and our whole being, we can begin to sense our inter-connectedness.  We can sense it when watching children play, when being in nature, when listening to a beautiful piece of music or when looking at a beautiful piece of art - boundaries fall away and we are all one.  Everything affects everything else.  It is an important lesson for me to keep doing my part. 

Four Ways to Nurture Your Inner Artist

I gave myself the gift of walking along the hilly, shop lined streets of Shrewsbury, England with my camera for a much needed "Artists Day".  Shrewsbury has over 700 shops. It was delightfully fun and my inner child was in heaven.

 

Do something right now:  "Forget everything else on your "to do" list for the next hour and go outside with a pencil and sketchbook or a small container of watercolors and as quickly as you can, capture what you see." 

Give yourself the pleasure of an "Artists Day":  "Go visit a museum, an antique shop, a garden center or some other place where you can meander for hours with no agenda.  After the experience, see how inspired and renewed you feel and how it fed your creativity."

Buy something that you have been denying yourself:  "Buy that new tube of cobalt blue, magenta or lemon yellow paint.  Then go paint on either the biggest or smallest canvas you can find.  See what happens!" 

Play music:  "Music excites that right side of the brain further stimulating your creativity... and no difference if its Mozart, Pavarotti, Brightman or the Beatles."

Cultivating Curiosity

One of my photographs taken on a walk.  Had I been driving I would have missed these sweet colorful flowers reaching up towards the sun.

Philosophers, psychologists, mystics, and guru's all have sage advice on how to live a happier life.  But what really works?  I have found that one of the most effective ways to achieve greater personal fulfillment and happiness is to seek novelty in my day-to-day life.  Trying new things breaks us out of our habit thoughts and behaviors and wakes us up.  It pushes us into the moment. 

The human brain is actually energized by surprise and discovery.  So, to be happier, be curious, be in "learning mode", ask questions, develop “beginners mind” and begin to enjoy surprise; experience what its like to talk with someone you know well as if its the first time; experiment drawing with your left hand instead of your right; travel down a distant road you’ve never been on before; travel to a new city, a new state or to a foreign country; get out of your car and ride a bus, a bike or a train  - or better yet, walk.  Take a walk in the rain or walk at night with only the light of the moon and stars to guide you.

Each day, take one small step to follow a long held dream.  Instead of saying you’re going to work, say you’re going to “play”; wear a different color than you normally wear; read a Mary Oliver poem or The Wall Street Journal – it doesn’t really matter what it is as long as it’s something you've never read before and just stay curious.  Commit to curiosity. Commit to discovery. 

Repeating the same behaviors may feel comfortable but comfort is not the same as being happy. If more happiness and joy are what you want, then challenge the status quo.   If you do, you will probably begin to breath deeper and smile more, your self-consciousness might fly out the window and there might be a dance in your step!

This sign made me laugh.  It was on a wall in Shrewsbury and I almost didn't take the picture.  I walked by...then went back and captured it.  I loved discovering this part of the world.  Everything was new and different.  I vowed to stay curious.  I wondered how long this sign had been there.  It looked very old.

Mindful Communication Produces Big Rewards




Mindful communication has to do with being mentally and emotionally present when communicating with others.   It is about practicing deep listening rather than being preoccupied or distracted by the thoughts and stories in our own minds.   It is about paying attention to more than just the words that are being said, but to the feelings as well. 

To practice mindful communication and deep listening, notice if you are really present or if your mind is wandering. Are you making eye contact and listening without expectations, prejudice or judgment?  Are you aware of feeling impatient or thinking about what is "really" important or where you need to be next?  Are you distracted by other people or activities that are taking you away from being truly present? 



A late afternoon snapshot after school in England - they are listening to each other intently.

Mindful communication has great rewards. You may feel a connection that you have never felt before and you may feel understood for the very first time.  This then sets the stage for future understanding and connection.  In today’s hectic and fast paced world, I believe that most people are starving for this type of  communication.  I wonder what it would be like, if today, we could each be the change we would like to see?

Meditation Nourishes Your Brain

This looked like a wonderful spot to meditate. 

Meditation nourishes the body, the soul as well as the brain.  The more one meditates, the more the brain changes.  When we meditate, the "old brain" begins to quiet down and our sense of  separateness begins to diminish.  The walls of the ego (or the constructed self) begin to collapse and we begin to sense our oneness.  Scientifically speaking, it is found that those who practice mindfulness meditation have more gray matter in the left hippocampus, the part of the brain involved with emotional control, memory and learning.

Meditation aids in relaxation, concentration and attuning to deeper, more spiritual aspects of the self.  It helps us find our center - our temple of inner wisdom.  Through a meditation practice we can learn to live primarily from this place.  Did you know that the word "meditation" actually comes from the Sanskrit meaning "doing the wisdom".?