Breaking Through the Monkey Mind with Art

Wow I got uber focused after Art Meditation last night. I was up until the wee hours attacking a bunch of emails, requests, washing dishes, etc. It was as if a logjam had been removed and the many things that were stressing me out suddenly became easily doable.

My intention for the session was “I am focused”.

I then made art for about 2 hours in silence along side the participants that came to my Kitsune Studio that evening. 

The first image I made was a beautiful sunrise colored painting which I then put a paper cutout over the top of. I set that aside to dry.

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I was feeling agitated and wondering what to do with that energy. I was blaming everything else for this feeling. Tension filled me. I decided to make my own crazy coloring page – by making an outline and filling it in very diligently and with focus. As I neared completion I felt a calmness take over my mind and body. 

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Finished with that coloring exercise, I then painted over it with a few layers of paint, before finishing up with a golden moon. I placed some of the leftover paper cutouts on the painting and they became guardian birds.

Afterwards, my dialog with the work revealed that in the first piece I had created a paradise but then put a fence between it and me. The barrier to getting to the other side of this tension and overwhelm was myself. I worked through it with the coloring page. I was able to remember that art and meditation will help me become more focused and centered, and by changing my attitude I can breakthrough the monkey  mind.  

I was amazed at how quickly art meditation worked and by the amount of items I crossed off my to do list at 2am. Hmmm, maybe I’ll need to do this earlier next time!

What is Art Meditation?  It is a practice designed to reach through the monkey mind to get to juice of your inner wisdom. It is a practice based on Art Therapist Pat Allen’s Studio Process. It is held every other Tuesday night at my Kitsune Community Art Studio. Check out the schedule by clicking here. Email [email protected] for more information.

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