The Magic of Art

I have started painting. I painted a lot when I was a kid and as I became an adult, my preoccupation with unnecessary worries and constant chasing of an invisible perception meant that my painting time was compromised. It happened with several of my deepest loved desires like writing, poetry, photography and stage acting. I just did not have time either  because I thought I did not or because my energies were scattered on multiple things that were not even close to what I loved doing.

Now, as I am starting to consiciously live, I have automatically went back to the so many wonderful things I have always loved as a child and I realized that my love for them has not decreased even an iota. One thing I have been doing for the past couple of months is to paint. First, when I started painting, it was random garbage. I could not paint anything that was not abstract. The reason was that I had stopped observing things and took them for granted. For instance, when I tried to paint a flower, I realized that I was painting from an image of a flower in my mind that was abstract. I knew the structure of a flower but nothing more about it. I had never taken the time to observe the lighting, shadow, the texture, the pattern, …

There is a story that comes to mind – Apparently, there was a great painter in China long time ago. He was an amazing painter as his paintings would be bubbling with life. If he wanted to paint a tree, he would go and sit before the tree. He would sit for hours, days or years until he felt he became the tree. That is when he would start painting.

These last two months, I have noticed my painting skills improving a lot because I just started observing and enjoying the life around me more than I ever did.

I will upload  my artwork sometime in future. In the meantime, check Daniel Edlen’s Vinyl paintings. He is an amazing guy and I get awestuck everytime I see one of his rock stars! :0)

Newton’s 3rd Law

Newton’s 3rd law (“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”)  teaches much more than physics.

When a thought/craving comes to your mind, say you try to shun it away; you suppress it. The thought becomes stronger next time it surfaces. For instance, you are dieting and you want icecream. You suppress the craving to have an icecream with a resolute determination. The next time it surfaces, you need more determination to suppress it because the force is much more. The next time, it is even more, and so forth.

Every action you take with your free will has an opposite reaction (from nature or mind, however you want to see it). When you suppress a thought with a force (which is generated through your will), the push back from the other side will be equally large. Hence, it is a constant battle and a matter of time that you give in to the unending force of nature.

I am not saying that do whatever comes to your mind and run free. That is certainly not the way to live. But, instead of acting from your will, act from your consciousness. Acknowledge the thought in your mind and never try to suppress it. But, don’t act on it. There is a big difference between suppressing something and not acting on something. Understanding this difference would aid your struggles with your own self.

A misfit? Really??

Have you ever been called a misfit, meaning you don’t belong somewhere like your workplace, church, community, etc. Is that because you are different from others?

Not fitting is actually very good. I just came across these amazing people who are changing how music is played. Computer programming combined with live music – check it out. Another classic example of carving a niche for yourself. The world needs your talent.

Seeing beyond

I was talking to my father-in-law the other day, and he asked me a question – what color is the rose? I naturally said – red. He told me that the color of the rose is everything except red. Red is the only color it does not have because it reflects it. It absorbs everything else. This struck me with a great force and I have been thinking about this simple and deep understanding of life.

Almost everytime, what we seem to perceive is an illusion. There is something beyond what we actually see. Knowledge exists if we are able to look beyond. This reminds me a great scene from the movie Patch Adams. Courtesy youtube, here is the video -