Drawing on meditation

Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly discover the world. (Frederick Franck)

tangled garden beauty by bvw

How to kick start your eyes to actively look

  I want to share with you a way of keeping your thinking skills in top form. Just like the rest of your body, your eye/ brain connection needs regular exercise to work at optimum performance.

The best thing, is that you can do this anywhere with anything, just bring along your perception and focus. This is the first of 13 creative thinking tools as defined by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein in their book “Sparks of Genius”.

1. Choose an object or a place that you are interested in learning more about.
2. Discern as much as you can about how it looks, color, shape, form, texture, size, line.
3. Even take notes, a photo. Make a sketch.
4. Also identify other sensations that you notice, such as particular sounds like in the space, , smells, what it feels like to be in the space. Identify what it reminds you of. re there any memories associated with it? Are there historical connections? Document all observations.
5. A journal is a good place to put tis information in case you should want to reference it in the future.

You have just done a little exercise that does not involve a specific time, place or fee. You are exploring something that is interesting to you. In the process you are  exercising your creativity, memory, intellectual capacity to make connections. This will help you to become more confident in your own observations.

These skills are essential for artists, musicians, scientists, writer, historians, teachers, students and doctors.

So carry your little journal with you and give your creative mind a workout. You will be surprised at how much more you notice about life! And don’t forget to let me know how it works for you. What did you learn?

Creative, clean living in 3 easy steps.

folding laundry in the light bvw

Do you start a boring job that has to be done around the house,  and plod through it?

I have begun many a task like that, and somewhere between the necessity of gettting it done and the annoyance of wasting my time with upkeep, I have discovered how to make it fun and creative.

First, I have to change my perception to take in the gestalt of laundry in my life. No research, just what it represents in my life. So I reflect upon  what laundry means  to me. Cleansing, layering renewing are concepts that come to mind.

Then  I observe laundry  as a way of exploring shadows and light. See how it looks in different lights. Look at it straight from the dryer crumpled in the basket and then folded crisp and clean.

Then I respond to the visual beauty that I have discovered in my ordinary day. What a blessing!

Because I draw and paint, I will document my experience that way. Other ways to articulate your laundry experience could to write about it , photograph it or tell stories about it. You could also begin to notice subtle variations in colors, trying colors next to each other that you never tried before.

I can’t say that this will get those chores done faster. In fact, I may take a little longer, especially once I get started on a painting.  But I have a real feeling of satisfaction when I complete the task , As I touch the laundry with my hands, transforming the deep clefts of shadows and mountains of light into folded patterns of crisp geometric shapes I am lead to understand the necessity for renewal, order and balance in my life.

What ordinary household or work tasks could you transform creatively?

Walking the dog like Pierre Bonnard

by Bonnard (do you see Poucette looking up at the table?)

Pierre Bonnard walked his little dog. Everyday, like clockwork.

Who is Pierre and why should you care how and when he walked his little dachshund, Poucette?

Actually, he was a painter…

Pierre Bonnard painted his love, his life in his little home and his walks with his dog.

What?

Why did he do that? Doing  this repetitive activity, could be taking time away from focusing on being creative. It could begin to make a person feel resentful. I actually feel that way, sometimes. But dogs do really need a good long walk to be happy. And I love my dogs, too.

But Pierre Bonnard said,

“ I have all of my subjects to hand.

I go and look at them.  I take notes.

Then I go home. And before I start painting,

I reflect, I dream.” from Accidental Masterpiece by Michael Kimmelman

Maybe he has something there. He took notes. He perceived walking the dog as a habit for making time to see see and reflect. He took his sketchbook with him. But my two golden retrievers don’t like their walk to be stop and go. Maybe I could try to remember one or two images that see on my journey.

So I tried it.

I painted when I got home.

My little drawings captured more than I thought I could remember. They had a spirit to them that was fresh and immediate. The dogs were happy. I felt happy, and fit, too.

I might call it the 3 mile sketch series, perhaps?

Try it!

• Choose what you want to focus your creative energies on.(writing, composing, choreographing, directing a play, designing your house,)
• Choose a chore that is already a repetitive habit. (folding laundry, weeding)
• Now, how are you going to combine the two? It has to be easy to do.
• Try it. You will be surprised at how the ideas flow!

How to observe like an artist

bvw

I’ve been drawing for most of my life , to capture ideas and feelings inspired by moments that catch my eye. As I tidy up I pause to reflect on and  draw  a lovely basket of fresh, clean, unfolded clothes and I think of  fresh beginnings .  A disorganized closet  stops me in my tracks. I draw it because I like to see the deep recesses and flowing linens spilling out of this dark mysterious cavern.

“Why would I want to observe ordinary, everyday objects and things?”, you may well ask.

Suddenly you see so much color and beauty that, previous to conscious observation, you walked right by. You find yourself noticing the details and then the gestalt of a place. The places haven’t changed. Your perception has!

The difference between looking and observing is why Jasper Johns began to make his paintings of oversized American flags, flashlights ,  and light bulbs. Functional easily recognized objects are very difficult to actually see with centered attention.We take them for granted.  Be aware of perceiving with all of your other senses and incorporate the feedback into your observations. To write, dance, scientifically investigate, act, compose & play music, paint, draw, sculpt you need great observational skills and then the ability to reflect.

This habit of observing & reflecting has motivated me to get up peacefully at 4 am in the morning to meditate, draw & paint, before I go off to work. Because of it, I have developed a large and strong body of art work. Practicing yoga and walking each three times a week keeps up my stamina and gives me time to observe. When I take the time to see, every nook and cranny holds surprises.

Your observational skills are easy to do in a few moments, you don’t have to purchase anything, and you can do it wherever your day takes you. If i can’t draw or take notes at that moment, I attempt to remember it for later.

Here are some suggestions for becoming a a keen observer:

1. Start your day with a quiet meditation. Starting your day this way can help you to remember  to make time to see.

2. Decide how you want to record your observations. You could take a photograph, record your voice or the sound on your phone or computer, write in a journal, make a video or draw. Make it convenient and easy to carry with you.

3. When you observe something that is significant to you, document your observations. Adjust the the time you spend to what is reasonable for you now.

4. If you don’t even have time to stop, make a mental note to remember it. Without judging yourself,document it before going to bed. Its best to do this exercise one a day until you feel comfortable. Then you can move on to two observations. Its like running…not too much at once, You are in oservation training!

5. Keep focused on the process of observing. It’s a way of thinking that embraces and articulates the senses. Decide which medium or method above you wish to use. One is as good as the other.

6. Make this a habit and you will reap the benefits faster.

7. Keep your observations together and dated, so you can find them easily. You could use a program like journler or Evernote on the computer,  an ipod, a simple blank sketchbook , papers to be stored neatly in a portfolio.