Making Art: A Metaphor For Life
Can you recall a time when you were doing something and it seemed to reflect the reality of your life? Little clues or nudges as words or pictures coming to you through the quiet space. I see those moments as metaphors for our lives.
A recent experience sitting in my monthly Monday art class made that metaphor shimmer! In art class as in my life I was more in the “being” than “doing.” Daily I struggle with that balance! However, for those 90 minutes I was:
Being present Being courageous
Being kind Being open
Being patient Being curious
Now the back story...still healing from a childhood creative injury in art class I have some residual fear that shows up when I'm here. I refuse to have my life ruled by fear...so I go. Some of these ladies are very talented artists so I feel like I'm making art with the “big kids.”
We're being invited to draw....yes... draw... a mandala of whatever we wanted. I try not to look too long or longingly at the beautifully drawn mandalas my fellow artists are starting to make. Their heads are down, they have a plan, they are making colorful magical mandalas. I am amazed at how easily drawing comes to some of them. I am in awe and envy but gratefully...not on the fear/shame merry go round in my mind. Can you relate?
I'm staring at a blank piece of paper. Though I deeply trust it won't be blank forever that residual fear whispers to me. Elbows on the table, head resting in my hands, clueless...waiting for inspiration to come so I can make, well... draw something. Finally my eyes rest on the pencils and pens I see scattered around the table. I begin to choose a few not having any idea what I'll be doing with them.
As I become calmer, lo and behold I find myself using a brown pencil to make a small circle in the center of the paper, it looks like a seed. Next I grab a green pencil and notice I'm making a spiral that comes out of the seed going round and round on the paper. Not down...I take that as a good sign! At the end of the spiral I start drawing a pink lotus flower. Hum...I'm amazed. Nothing else comes. “Wait...wait” I say in my head, there is a whole lot of white space left on the paper. At first it is unbearable to look at then just uncomfortable. Aren't we supposed to fill up all the white space on the paper like we fill the empty spaces in our lives with doing...I wonder? But that is it... that's all I've got.
While others are still drawing I slowly shift my attention to the center of the mandala not the open space. I stare and wait...then in the stillness I notice an energetic connection to the brown seed center. What clarity!!! I have just drawn a metaphor of my life right now. Even though my life has been in chaos, I started with a solid center. Life was indeed spiraling but then one day while I wasn't noticing, something beautiful bloomed...just like the pink lotus...it was ME!.
Purposely I have chosen to open up lots of space in my life, just like the spaces on the paper, to allow for quiet reflection and growth. At times this process is uncomfortable yet necessary if I want to experience more “being” and less “doing.” Whether navigating the chaos of daily life or navigating my fear in a 90 minute art class metaphors always have a way of bringing me clarity. Have you noticed any life as art or art as life metaphors lately?