Thanksgiving is over; we are into December, and the holiday season is officially upon us. It is amazing to me how fast this year has just flown by. In my personal life I am slowing things down, doing less busy work, taking more time for creating art.
Recently I found out about a sketchbook project that struck my fancy, and I signed myself up. For a small fee, the organizers of the project send you a sketchbook to fill and send back to them. Then they put it on display in a traveling show, along with all the other sketchbooks they receive. It's a way to build a community of artists, and everyone is free to participate. I jumped on board because I thought it would be a fun way to practice my spiritual practice: "being" art everyday without any regard for whether it is right or good enough. I love working in journals and sketchbooks because they seem like private little playgrounds to explore and experiment in...secret little hidey-holes.
The theme of the project is "Everyone We Know." I've been playing with the idea for a while now, as I wait for my sketchbook to arrive. I find myself looking at everyone and everything as something to create art about. Then I picked up Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Peace is Every Step, and randomly opened it to a page. It was the perfect essay, both for myself and as a reflection of last month's conversation in the Artmaking as a Spiritual Practice seminar: "Our Life is a Work of Art."
The gist of the essay is that instead of looking at everything and everyone for how they can provide us benefit or profit, a better approach may be to simply be with all aspects of our life without expecting to get something in return. As Thich Nhat Hanh states, "If we just act in each moment with composure and mindfulness, each minute of our life is a work of art."
With this in mind, we began the third session of the art seminar (held on the first Monday of each month, at Goodwin House in Bailey's Crossroads). We had a new member join us last night. Caroline is a wonderful addition to our group. She shared many stories of her life as an artist. She talked about "Woman Power," a seven-foot high steel sculpture that she created. She said she learned to weld from a master welder in Vienna, Virginia. She would do work for him in the morning and work on her own projects later in the day. It was fun to hear her stories. She decided to create "Woman Power" just to see if she could. What a great way to approach art: be inspired and dive in. Caroline also talked about her involvement in creating a healing garden in Arlington at the corner of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive. She said it's a great little oasis in the midst of urban life. If you want to see some of her work, head on over there. I'm sure it's worth the trip.
Caroline's stories were entertaining and enlightening. She fit right into our group and seemed to really understand the idea of creating art as something more than a way to get a result. For her, it was a way to get in touch with something inside her and to express herself. This was an auspicious beginning to the evening's session and was part of an extended check-in that Lynda requested we do. The queries for the check-in were: How does this approach to artmaking influence your life? How is the spiritual artmaking journey going? Each person had a chance to speak to the question and share their insights. For many, this class and this process is a jumping-off point that inspires later manifestations of "art."
This class provides ideas that later germinate and grow into full-fledged art projects. Following through on creating the art can be a difficult road that requires persistence, patience, and determination. It's also an opportunity to overcome challenges and obstacles, a path to new learning, and experimentation. It can be a struggle both physically and emotionally. The journey of the artist requires a long-time commitment. But let us be clear: It is not all bad. This process provides an opportunity to let go of one's ego and gain self. There are many moments of fun and humor. And it is satisfying to step into the process and flow. In a nutshell, the whole experience is glorious and sacred.
Again I forgot to take pictures, but that's probably just as well because our experimenting with printmaking didn't go so well. It's not so easy to carve into bass wood. We all tried to create etchings that were too detailed, so when we inked them, it was just a big blob. But this too is part of the journey. We learned something new, faced our moments of frustration, shared our time together. Even though none of us created anything of "beauty," the evening was profoundly beautiful and worthwhile--a gentle reminder to us all that the process is more important than the product.
Next month, we're trying monoprints. Perhaps you'll feel inspired or courageous enough to join us on this wacky journey. There's always room for creative spirits around the table!
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