Z: Zen

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart always ends with a "moment of zen." Granted those are comical clips, but I think we need to end with a moment of zen of our own.




Wikipedia defines Zen as: "Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism[note 1] that developed in China during the 6th century as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, to Korea and east to Japan.[2]

The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (dʑjen) (Modern Mandarin: Chán), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna,[3] which can be approximately translated as 'absorption' or 'meditative state'.[4]

Zen emphasizes the attainment of enlightenment and the personal expression of direct insight in the Buddhist teachings.[5] As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine[5][6] and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher.[7]"



We need zen in art.



We need to absorb the art and creativity that surrounds us. Creating will put us in a meditative state. Think about it. How noisy is your brain when you create? Are you not quiet, peaceful and happy when you are creating? You bet you are! We need zen to create art and creating art gives us zen.


Breathe deeply. Listen to the sounds of running water and chirping birds. Find peace and quiet within your soul. Once you feel your heart rate has decreased and you feel less anxious, allow yourself to create.


As you create, be in the moment. Pay attention to the joy you feel, the reprieve you experience. Live and love in the moment as you draw, paint, write, sing, play, do, make, create.


May you create in joy and find joy in creating.


Peace.

Y: You

You.


Yes, you! Tell me about you. Who are you? What do you like? What are your creative endeavors?

Which of these blogs have appealed to you? I think I've done more than enough "talking" this month. As a reader and fellow appreciator of the arts, tell me what you think, what you feel. This time the spot light is on YOU!!! :)



Did you like my blog about gardening?

Perhaps you hated my blog about poetry.

What did you think?

What did you like?

What didn't you like?

Why?

Let me get to know YOU! ;)

X: Xylography

According to arthistory.com, xylography is "wood engraving, and the oldest known relief printmaking technique. The discipline was first practiced in China, then picked up in Europe centuries later. Using a block of wood in somewhat the same manner as a rubber stamp, a xylographer cuts and/or carves wood away from those parts of the design that will not be inked. The 'sticking up' parts that are left form the final print."

Once again, I have learned something new. For fear that I would be writing about xylophones (no offense, xylophone players), I knew there had to be some kind of art form that started with the letter x.

I LOVE wood engraving. As some of you know, I worked with a chainsaw carver for a couple of years. I loved working with wood. Sanding, burning - it was an incredible new medium for me and I adored every second of it.

I also love print making. My grandfather passed earlier this month, but during his amazing career, he was in printing and lithography.

So a combination of wood art and printing really hits close to home.

Since I know so little about xylography, I looked up some images and thought you might like these:

W: Writing

I would be doing us all a disservice if I didn't have a blog about writing. :)

Writing is a rather unique creative outlet. Music, dance and art all allow us the opportunity to express ourselves without uttering a single word.



Writing is a creative process that rests solely on words. We scribes follow an ancient art and yet as we evolve, so do our languages and our writing processes.



Personally, I would love to have the talent to be able to create an image that leaves you breathless. But I can't. I cannot put a bow to a string and create an amazing sound. But what I can do is use my linguistics to create that image or music. The best part is, that image or song is not necessarily completely due to the words I write. Sometimes, the words I don't write are the important. How so? Because they allow your imagination to play! Writing is nothing without the imagination of the reader!



Yes, I love writing. I love creating people, stories and images with words. I have been doing this since childhood and I have no plans on stopping, so long as you promise me that you will continue to use your imagination when you read! ;)

V: Victory

What real victory is, in the context of the arts, is in the making of the creation. To be brave enough to create; to be courageous enough to put our work out for all the world to see. There is victory in creation. We have chosen to break down walls of insecurity, walls of doubt, walls of social response all in order to do and make something that we want.

Each creation, each stroke of the brush, each note played, each word typed is a victory in and of itself. To do, to make, to sing, to play, to dance...they are all victories.

That doesn't mean, however, that once we've created something we're done. No, not at all. Victory is not an end point. Victory is a moment of joy, of emotional satisfaction. Our lives (both creatively and overall) should take us from victory to victory. We should never stop after one victory because the next one could be much, much better!

Keep going! Keep creating! Keep celebrating your victories and become increasingly victorious day by day!

Victory is a tricky subject with creativity. Victory is us creating that piece we have always dreamed of. However, we cannot afford to sit on our laurels, either. Yes, we can be victorious in the creation of one piece. Yes, we can relish in that victory. However, we cannot sit on one victory alone. We need to use that victory to push ourselves forward, to challenge ourselves further.