Mindful Thoughts for Artists: Finding Flow & Creating Calm

By Georgina Hooper

From connecting with community to discovering your unique way of creating, this book explores the rich rewards of making art mindfully.

Art in all its beautiful forms and mediums is a powerful form of expression and meditation. In Mindful Thoughts for Artists, Georgina Hooper illustrates how the act of painting allows us to access the calm that dwells within, and acts as a powerful catalyst for pleasure, acceptance and growth.

Awash with colorful splashings of art history, and peppered with the rich teachings of the Ch’an Buddhists, this lovingly-crafted little book explores how this meditative medium helps us to embrace ourselves in all our different hues.

Appealing to all artists, this curated collection of 25 reflections encourages creators to live in the moment, to observe the beauty in everything, and above all, to ensure that the creative process is driven by love and enjoyment.

From focussing on the process not the product, to learning to see by slowing down and devoting time to our surroundings, this book will take you on a journey both in your art and in yourself, leading to a happier, creatively free and more mindful self!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9780711252882

Book preview

Mindful Thoughts for Artists

Mindful thoughts for

ARTISTS

Finding flow & creating calm

Georgina Hooper

Contents

INTRODUCTION The Creative Path

Behind the Veil

Art & Historical Mindfulness

The Aesthetic Experience

The Writhing Sea & the Deep Ocean

The Inner Critic

The Marvel of Mistakes

Cultivating Trust

The Process not the Product

The Spirit of the Brush

Learning to See

Artist, Amateur or Apprentice?

Artistic Community

Artful Silence

Painting with the Breath

Mindful Awareness of the Body

Creative Space

Habit, Routine & Ritual

Artist’s Block

Riddles with No Answer

The Rhythm of Your Work

Beginning & Beginning Again

Art Journals

The Magic in Making

The Artist as Farmer

You are the Product

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

The

Creative Path

We live in a time where we need to connect with our creative selves more than ever. The unending stimulation of the modern world can be overwhelming, but it also offers opportunities for creative inspiration – if only we can draw breath long enough to soak it up and express what we make of it all. As a society, we seem to be tuning in to the rich benefits that art has to offer us as human beings. A surge of creativity is being embraced the world over, with more people taking up all sorts of art practices for pleasure and wellbeing. In this inherent form of self-expression is a vast array of rewards, and the benefits are richly enhanced when we incorporate mindfulness with our artistic practice.

I had the privilege to learn of mindfulness in artistic practice first-hand as a research scholar in China’s Tianjin University, where an art professor taught me the philosophy and techniques of Chinese landscape painting using ink on delicate rice paper. As I watched the professor work, I sensed his peaceful focus. The fugitive effects of the medium required him to bring all awareness to the act of making in that moment. Over time, I have cultivated a deeper understanding of this way of working. In this book I share with you the culmination of many years of mindful art practice and academic research, and the personal reflections and understandings that have emerged from this.

Art provides for a mindful practitioner a stimulating focus with which to hone and cultivate inner stillness. Delicately and dexterously manipulating nothing into something requires us to reach somewhere beyond the external world into the inner realm where our imagination thrives. By learning to delve deeper into this space we enrich both our meditation and our art.

The wealth and beauty of making can go unnoticed, be forgotten or diluted if you aren’t present to experience it in the moment. When we create in a mindful way, we can witness the transformation that our creativity brings. Our minds can open to a more intuitive and playful way of making, leading us to a greater sense of joy. We can connect intimately and compassionately with ourselves and others. By quietening the babble of our conscious mind and letting go of control we can allow our whispered inspirations to be heard and respond to them without fear. Through mindfulness we can rise above the damning inner critic with confidence in our artistic ability.

For many of us, having time to make art can be something of a luxury. When we find these moments, we owe it to ourselves to leave behind day-to-day concerns and to be fully present. When we connect deeply with our craft through mindful awareness, we open ourselves up to the magic of making and the beauty that can be found in the here and now.

Behind the Veil

Consciousness, which is the state of being aware of and responsive to our surroundings, is a natural and healthy part of the human mind. However, living in a climate of perpetual hustle and bustle can present a cacophony of stimuli that bombards our conscious mind, resulting in a never-ending stream of mental babble. In our often constantly changing environment, both virtual and real, we are flooded by information, sounds, sights, ideas, conversations and interactions, and this can be difficult for our sensitive systems to cope with. The activity of the conscious brain can be like a veil of static noise, a constant distracting hum that prevents us from accessing a deeper, more intuitive state of mind and being.

THE CHALLENGE OF SWITCHING OFF

With what seems like an ever-increasing demand on our brains, sometimes we just need to switch off, right? How simple that sounds! But tuning out can be a challenge. Yes, sleep can be a wonderful abyss to dive into, but sometimes we find our brain so stimulated that even sleep becomes unattainable. And when we finally drift into its soft, black velvetiness, the frenzy of our external world may bubble up as fitful dreams.

The excitement of the world around us and a serious fear of missing out can make it difficult to want to step away for even a moment. Anyone who has ever tried to sit and meditate quietly will have found their brain playfully and relentlessly attempting to entice them back into its realm. Many of us find that there is a proverbial party going on in our heads. I like to imagine this party as an intimate yet endless grand circus which we can wander amongst. Mesmerizing and tantalizing, we can be fully engaged spectators and even performers in this internalized world. Led by our imagination, we can dive into a colourful realm of spectacle with an infinite range of players and participants – past, present and future.

This metaphorical sparkling realm of thought is no less spectacular than the MRIs of modern science, which reveal our brain’s neuro