One of my favorite parts of brush painting is grinding ink. The rhythmic grinding of the ink stick against the stone usually, along with some controlled breathing, helps me to loosen up and relax.
Usually.
I wanted to try some bamboo today, so I got out my stick and my stone and started grinding away.
But I forgot to slow down and focus on the moment, to focus on the grinding. My mind was overwhelmed with the pressures of the past weeks and the weeks to come. My mind was chaos. So of course I found myself gripping the ink stick with what I would describe to my junior karate students as a "Grip Of Doom."
For the first time ever, I snapped the ink stick in half. Yikes. Wake up call. Good grief, here I was about to attempt to paint bamboo, the plant synonymous for flexibility and relaxation, and I'm all rigid and tense.
I think I managed to recover. I slowed my breathing, dialed my grip on the stick down by a factor of about 1000, and finished grinding my ink. I don't think I achieved the perfect "zone" by any means, but I did find myself in a better place with a more relaxed attitude, and I enjoyed working the bamboo, and even the leaves (which is huge for me!)
How much better would our lives be if we could maintain a state of focus and relaxation like that?
How much more pleasant would things be if we didn't need breaking something, if we didn't need snapping, as a wake up call to slow down and just BREATHE, to RELAX, to be in, and enjoy, the moment for what it is.....
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| Bamboo Brush Painting On 12x18 Watercolor Paper |
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