ART IS AN ACT OF FREEDOM

or more precisely, the creation of said art is the act of freedom. The process is one the ways of being in such a degree of presence, that the rest of the world simply melts away into an unimportant flurb of goop. I believe that the more people are able to experience these types of moments of presence, clarity and sincerity, the happier and more peaceful human life/history will be

EVERY PIECE IS AN OPPORTUNITY

any and all art has the capacity to be: inspirational, cathartic, enlightening, liberating and everything in-between. I just have to see it. It has to click. Like the moment the zen monk realises the essence of what his koan is, like the eureka moment of understanding, like the moment of pure joy when one forgets that time and space outside of what is happening exists

KINDNESS

i believe that it is possible to learn to be kind by choosing it. That is what I have been trying to do for many years, and while not being perfect and being able to be kind in every situation, whenever I have (and sometimes when I don’t have) the energy, resources and mental stability. I choose to be kinder and that is why I chose a stylisation of this comparative as my pen name. Need I state the obvious that: if people were kinder, the world would be a better, safer and happier place?

DON’T FORCE IT

Wanting something too much can suffocate it. Just like sometimes I need to look out of the corner of my eye to catch that perfect moment of flickering light being reflected off the ripples of a moving body of water, so I need to trust that a gentle inquisition may open a heavy door, and if it doesn’t, proceed to test the door further with gentle firmness. If the door doesn’t give, I abandon it prior to having to use force. And while it is possible to use brute strength to open doors, I have found that the sweetest results lie behind the ones that respond to the gentle touch

DON’T WAIT

if there is something to do, do it. If there is something to be seen, see it. I try not to wait and just be with what is at this moment and try and see that what can be truthfully expressed

FULL STOP

sometimes knowing when and how to stop something is harder than knowing how and what to start. I have a clear understanding that I could work on one thing indefinitely. In a sense pieces of art get put on pause, for there is always more to be said. I have been learning to say: ‘that’s it, it’s done’. I learned this by observing my goddaughter’s and her elder sister’s drawings. Children know what they want to draw and when they are happy enough, they are ready to move on. As do I.