To speak without words. To bring forth what is locked inside me. I draw, paint, sculpt and construct to become alive. My engagement with the medium is genuine. It is Authentic and real. As I would not allow the mind to interfere, to calculate and engineer. This work is above and beyond the mind grasps.
I enjoy the silence. I love the quiet, and I smile with inner joy. I feel, I know the bliss is near.
I love the initial meeting: Me and the empty canvas, me and the raw stone. Whatever may be the medium that lies in front of me, I find one element to be the most important component.
It is important to submit myself to the moment. It is important to get out of the way and to be present. I touch, feel and listen. It is quite simple when you look at this from my angle.
I become the instrument to allow the hidden creation to emerge. I can see the opportunity, the opening for the concealed outline, the hidden shape, and form. The desire to be born, and the wish to come alive is beyond me.
For me, the process of stone carving is the most remarkable engagement. Before I begin to work, I look and study the stone in order to get connected with its power.
I clean and remove the outer layer, the sand and dirt that are gathered in its folds for so many years. Sometimes I wonder how long it has been there. A stone can wait to be discovered for thousands of years. Silently it remains in a waiting state to emerge out, and in most cases the discovery may never happen.
However, now it is here now with me ready to come to life. And it is in these beautiful moments that healing begins as it allows me to express my innermost feeling that I am unable to convey through regular communication.
Transforming those hard feelings to a world of beauty and splendor, it is a wonderful way to release feelings of anger, sadness, and fear. The transformation happens right in front of my eyes… as I keep on touching and moving my hands, the ugly becomes beautiful and the light overcomes the darkness. This process produces a positive sense of accomplishment and a new love for life. The colors, the shapes, the forms, and others aesthetic qualities of the art-work bring soothing sensations and provide loving quality to life.
It is a known fact now by neurophysiologists that the creative work along with music and prayer comes from the same source in our mind. They all are linked and connected with similar brain wave patterns. It takes us into our inner most magnificent realm.
It is said that the creative process affects every cell in the artist’s body, and that it can boost the immune system. In turn, it changes the perception and the emotional state of the artist. It creates hope and positive energy to cope with life’s difficulties and triumph over them.
This inward journey is extremely rejuvenating, as the healing come from within ourselves. When we unleash our creative forces to function openly, we free the healing force within ourselves and become whole.
The instinctive need to express ourselves, the desire to be understood, accepted, and loved is instilled in all of us. As for myself, I can say that I recognized this desire from an early age. This yearning to be heard is as strong in me as the marble I carve, and the need to communicate is as resilient as the chisel I use to carve.
To communicate and remain silent, to allow my art to speak in the face of my challenges is a marvelous feeling, as I believe that our biggest enemy is our fear. I had to overcome the self-doubt one-step at a time and claim my right to be how I am in the face of my own hesitation and sabotage. As I did so there was a flood of possibilities as the creative juices began to work to emerge and illuminate my universe.
I remember one of my visits to Europe watching the most beautiful art being created on the sidewalks, a combination of drawing and painting of the world with multi-colors.
I quietly ask one of those young, talented street artists, “Can I try?”
“You must,” he laughed as he handed me the chalk.
I contributed my share as I worked on the hidden side of the sidewalk behind an old building. I saw him glancing at me, observing my finished product with a smile.
“This is good,” he giggled. “We can say it is primitive art.”
And so my primitive art did a great service for me. I proved to myself that whatever comes from the heart has the direct address to enter into another heart. I began painting, sculpting, and writing. Writing and rewriting my life story.
The creative process of writing is an amazing one. Words have an imperceptible power. Words can build or destroy. With words we create our life. We shape and mold our future.
When I write, I feel as if I need to go deep into my mind and pull out the correct and authentic words to describe and say what I want to express.
