Slow Down My Beating Heart

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 You can't rush it. You can't force it. You have just got to allow it to flow, to take the time it needs...creativity must be honored with space and time to flourish. And if it sometimes feels like you're taking two steps forward and ten back, or going around in circles, then so be it. It takes time for a seed to become a fully grown tree...and you likewise serve your ideas best when you just let them be. Perseverance is required, not aggression. Rushing, pulling, and prodding can only lead to premature emergence of the idea...weak and raw...or worse, undesired abortion. 

So, while we do wish for grand success and glory, we serve our art and ourselves best by accepting our subordinate role to that which wishes to be created and in the grand scheme of things. It's what the Bhagwat Gita recommends...as does Tao...or any other philosophy in the world. Do what needs to be done, but worry not about the results. Because really, as creative beings, we are but the conduits...when we make peace with this, and surrender to the process, only then do we even have a chance of creating something that is worth preserving. 

And the way to do that is to follow the way...be present in the moment, breathe calmly in the now. Focus on each brush stroke. Be one with the process. Or as they say, go with the flow. 

That was effortless with this new idea that came to me...Ephemera. A series of abstract landscapes, created with calm application of regular, short vertical strokes of the brush...moving across the creamy surface of the oil paints, creating a surprising blend of colors...








It was delightful working on this...and I hope I am able to create something similar on larger canvases...

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