The creative trigger for
San Simeon Delight (oil
on board, 12x16) was the
interaction between the
land and sea. They’re
called “attention without thought” or “Zen.” It means that we’re present in the connected.
current moment. Stillness is thoughtless awareness. Read that again.
Teachings about mindfulness have been around for thousands of years, and I’m
still working on utilizing them. Stillness may be the hardest thing we ever try to
learn. It’s not an easy task to clear our heads of any kind of thought. Ultimately,
it’s something that must be experienced. As much as I try to explain it, there are
no words to truly describe a state of Zen. We’ve enjoyed moments in our lives
when things just clicked. It’s the same with other creative endeavors, such as
music or athletics. When it happens, it feels natural and easy, effortless even.
Let’s not confuse this important practice with the common phrase, “getting
lost in thought,” which is actually counterproductive. An example of getting lost
in thought would be losing awareness during a daily drive because your head is
full of thoughts about what you need to get done that day, did yesterday or will
do tomorrow. What I really mean is this: The thing that most often stops us
from having access to our own creative potential is our ego—that voice in our
head. When we paint, we need to find a way to turn it off. Only then will magi-
cal things happen and creative progress be made. Through stillness in the mind
comesinspiredactionandultimatepeace.
Frank Eber (frankeber.com) was mentored by master Renato Casaro. Eber strives to
create timeless art and to convey a subjective, emotional response to the natural world.
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