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 judyshintani@yahoo.com for more information.

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