A new life practice: Meditation

I’ve always enjoyed being wrapped in contemplation. I scrutinize everything and anything. If I’m in a waiting room, no detail is overlooked… furniture, lighting, objects, people…  Inquisitive and attentive in front of a landscape, a building, a picture. Recently, mediation has made its way into my life and has taught me a new way of looking. I’ve always thought that nothing compared to the inspiration drawn from the infinity of the horizon or the vastness of a star-studded sky. While still an extraordinary experience, mediation has allowed me to discover equal beauty and space just by closing my eyes. I had already intermittently practised meditation, using various apps to guide me, but now, I have a daily appointment with my yoga mat. I sit in silence, settle down and observe. The contemplation remains, but it is turned inward. I try to further develop mindfulness, a state of awareness of myself and of my surroundings.

I can’t help but notice that meditation has had impacts on my artistic practice. I’m currently working on sculptures and, for me, sculpting has always involved a process more demanding than painting. And, more often than not, I finish a sculpture with aching back or neck. But for the first time in my career, I sculpt without any physical strain because I’m now fully aware of my posture. Even when concentrated over my work, I completely inhabit my body. Meditation has taught me this intrinsic presence. Sculpting is also a solitary act that requires a fair amount of time, patience and determination. Even on more trying days, there is a feeling of calm and serenity. I now accept that certain challenges are part of the creative process. I can rework or start over parts on my sculpture without an impression of stagnation, or even worse, of lost ground… I distance myself from the work more easily and view each step as a continuity, an evolution.

It’s only been three months since this daily ritual of mediation and yoga has become part of my life. But I think it is here to stay. And I’m eager to see where it leads me. More on this subject as I travel its possibilities!