“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle
I have been thinking about this quite a lot over the Summer. As I am stepping into a new phase of life the need for more artistry, beauty and stillness in all areas of life is becoming more and more important.
So what do I mean? The exquisite in the simple. That's the only way I can describe it.
The idea of simple things, being present with each moment came to me during lockdown. Somebody I knew had really felt my sense of aloneness after my marriage had split and I found myself stuck in a village I hated and feeling very trapped. They sent me a book - One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat.
In this book, the Author and Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. It is a truly honest and uplifting book and recounts many of her experiences of living a hermit life and using ritual at the heart of a daily pattern.
It really helped and warmed my heart. One weekend, a very lonely weekend. I began to use the slowness, quietness and solitude of the time to my advantage.
I'm sure people would say, why wouldn't you want solitude after working on a crazy busy hospital ward and living in a relationship that no longer fitted who you were. But solitude can be hard when you are fighting with your self internally. This little book carried me like a guide to the simple life.
I found myself watching the steam off my cup of tea, took my time eating, tasting every single mouthful. I noticed nature more deeply, the movement the birds made, getting up close and really seeing their movements. I used candlelight to limit outer stimulation, as I lit my incense, I watched the smoke gently rising and swirling as I took in the deep smell. The TV was barely being used but that got switched off along with music. I used meditation and mantra instead. I tried to tune into what my body needed and at what time instead of eating or drinking out of boredom.
Each time I made a task more mindful and developed my awareness more intently, the more pleasure it brought. I made everything about life simple. But I savoured it. I noticed the small things.
"One of the main purposes of my coming here was to get my mind and body in the same place at the same time. More than three months into this adventure, it's happening more frequently — certainly more so than when I first arrived. By making my focus smaller and smaller, everything is getting bigger and bigger. Just rinsing out the breakfast dishes, I am happy. There's a vast space around things in which anything is possible. A sense of rapture permeates even the smallest activities of the day."
By noticing the small. The very small. It makes everything about life larger, brighter, more amazing and just what it is.
Art.
You could say art is something created, but so is life. I had been so caught up in trying to get out, to escape and find beauty and peace, that I lost my way. It wasn't until I allowed myself to see it in the small simple stuff that I saw everything.
Your life is your own. It's yours to create, live and breathe as you choose. But when we think about creation we often see the big end goal. Not the small stuff that gets us there. Step by step by step.
As I said last week, I love this time of year because there is magic in its stillness. In the mist of an Autumn morning as it waits for the sunshine to burgeon. There is still a remnant of a Summer memory, of what has passed. But its calmer and steadier. There is a longing to retreat inwardly. The energy brings an essence not seen in other seasons.
My intent in all I do. My work, my joy, my practice, my prayer and even my sleep is to make it more aware, more mindful, more artful. To make everything a ritual, to take time and to savour.
The warm shower on my skin after a gym session that made my muscles ache for joy in movement. The aroma of essential oils on my skin before I dress. A warm cup of Cacao by the candlelight of my altar, the steam from my breath as I open the window to let the Autumnal air in and let the cat out. Watching the season slowly change morning by morning through my window.
It doesn't take much to witness art in everything and to create it.
"Joy comes from appreciation. Appreciation comes from paying attention. Paying attention is the practice of Zen. It's so simple, yet look how I have to strip away everything, come out here in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, adhere to an unforgiving schedule, and stick it out through all the ups and downs in order to discover it. It's very humbling. At the same time, it's inspiring, because it means I don't have to wait for rapture to come at only the 'rarified' moments. It's possible to change my habit from dreaming to waking up. Then this rapturous joy will enter my life more regularly."
How will you create art in your life over the coming months?