The Art of Being Present

Me in my Art Studio (August 2024)

In the midst of finishing up summer fine art festivals, starting to teach art again, keeping up with my art shop, and trying to spend time with loved ones, life has been a bit overwhelming to say the least.  

This morning, I decided to put everything on hold and work on a new seascape painting that I recently started.  I was hopeful that I would finish it, but alas, four hours later I didn’t get as far as I thought.  It seems to be an ongoing theme with everything in my life these days.

I soon realized that I have to slow down and remember that with art, it’s not always about the finished piece of work but rather the experience of creating it.  I suppose that this logic can be applied to most things in life.  About halfway through painting, I took a small break and came back with the intent not to finish the painting, but instead to take in the moment of painting it.  I turned on “The National” playlist on Spotify, I grabbed a cup of tea, and I went to my happy place. And would you believe that everything started to flow naturally and effortlessly.

When we are set on finishing things with only the intention of finishing them, we lose the most important aspect of doing something.  We lose the pleasure of the moment, the pleasure of the process, and the pleasure of being present.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who nods their head while you're talking, smiles and seems like they’re listening, but you know that their mind is completely somewhere else?  I realized today that I was ignoring my artwork.  I was not giving it the attention it deserved until I changed my goal from finishing it to being present during the process.

Our lives are so hectic, we often unintentionally and perhaps subconsciously tune out a lot of what is happening in the now.  Today was a reminder for me that sometimes I need to take a step back, take a deep breath, refocus and enjoy the present moment.