Meditating With Art

I’ve recently developed a new hobby, and it has already devoured my entire attention. I’ve started painting! I know, I know, what’s the big deal? Well, for an engineer like me who has spent her entire life studying and applying math and science, creating art is a huge divergence. And I am loving this divergence!

Why am I so addicted to creating art? For me, art is not only a creative outlet, it is a sort of meditation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines meditation as an activity “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.” And I believe that art achieves this. When you create art, your entire attention is completely devoured to the task at hand. You are literally creating something out of nothing! You are taking an image from your mind and creating it on the paper or canvas in front of you. It is really a beautiful thing.

And what makes art so different from other activities? How do you know the difference between an artist and someone simply painting a wall? It is their intention. When you create something with the intention of it becoming art, something magical happens… when you are done, you have a piece of art! Setting your intention is such a powerful action. It is beyond physical and mental, and starts to delve in the spiritual realm…

To begin your own art practice, you don’t need anything fancy. I started out doodling with pencil and paper! Over time, I felt my images needed color, so I started using markers. Now I’m at the point where the images in my mind are more complex and require paint and canvas. My exploration of creating art has really been quite the journey!

I’m not saying that I am creating masterpieces… but the act of creating these pieces of art is so intriguing, enlightening and meditative that it is worth the journey! So if you are running into roadblocks with your traditional meditation practice (don’t worry, we all do!), why not diverge a bit and try creating some art?

Laura currently teaches our Sunday Power Flow Class from 11-12am , our Tuesday evening FUNdamental of Yoga class 6:45-7:45pm, and our monthly Kid's Yoga group the first Sunday of the month 9:30-10:30am. Join her at Yoga Art Space! (8338 Comanche Rd NE)