Learning be still

It is safe to be still. It is safe to be calm. It is empowering to just be.

Painting creates a stillness within which can bring about healing. Learning to be with stillness is all about knowing that we do not always have to be busy to be in a state of creation. Creation is happening through momentum in ways we cannot see or hear. There is more happening around us and through the fluid ether realm than we can know.

Like anything else, learning stillness and to be okay with not constantly pushing allows the world to unfold. Life is a breath. Inhale, exhale. Not just constant inhale. So many of us want to be in a state of control that slowing down feels like letting that go.

The art of life.

Paintings that are pushed become mechanical. The tension can be felt, and the free flow can be lost. An artist must breathe life into the art and let it exhale its energy to see what is next. It's a relationship. To stop. Study. Walk away. Focus on other things. All of this is part of process of art. Of life. If an artist gets frustrated, they walk away. If they can't see the next step, they go do something else. Some paintings take years. Others, days. And still others only hours. The best art happens in the freedom to pull time and pressure from the creation while still living in this solid world with deadlines and expectations.

It all comes down to the space in between.

Breathe into life and be okay with rest. Mundane. Empty calendars. Not knowing. Be in the rhythm of life, and art. It's okay to have an idea of what we are trying to accomplish but we must allow for room. The room to gestate and reveal. In all things this creates a space of peace and understanding. This gives opportunities to see clearly. Seeing with clarity brings about healing. And a really great painting. And more peace in our lives and relationships.

In all things there is motion. We don't need to constantly push the rock up the hill. Gravity goes down the other side and creates a snowball. Let life unfold and do some of the work. It will surprise you.