“All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.”

— Eckhart Tolle

Hello and welcome to my first Blog post! This one is about finding inner stillness through art. Hope you enjoy reading 🙂

Creating art can allow us to access a meditative state of mind and enter the inner stillness, Eckhart Tolle mentions. We lose ourselves for a while. In this place we accept our feelings and thoughts without judgement. Leaving behind the chatter of our minds, we create a space where we find our true selves.

However, as wonderful as it sounds, not everyone has the desire to create art and that’s not a problem. We can find inner stillness from simply observing art.  In the same way as meditation, looking at art moves us into a higher level of consciousness, allowing us to connect on an emotional level with what we can see. When we allow ourselves to really look at art, we find a magical place to explore and escape from the world, just as the artist does when creating the work.

Find your inner stillness with this 10 minute exercise

Art as Meditation Exercise – You can do this at home, in a gallery or any quiet space where you can look at a piece of artwork.

1. Remove all distractions – switch off your phone, go to a quiet space in your home
2. Sit comfortably in front of the artwork, with your feet on the floor and hands in your lap. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly, allowing your thoughts to drop away. As you do this, notice the sounds around you, the feel of your feet on the floor and focus on the present moment.
3. Open your eyes and simply look at the piece of artwork in front of you. Notice if an emotion is stirred in you and what it is, a memory, a like or dislike, an intense feeling perhaps, or no feeling at all. Continue to focus on the artwork and nothing else. Do not judge how you feel.
4. Notice the detail. Be curious about the shapes, colours, lines, texture, brush strokes, curves and patterns.
5. Sit silently and contemplate the artwork for a few more minutes
6. Close your eyes again. Take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. When you are ready open your eyes and continue with your day.