effortful effortlessness
Somewhere around 1692 a Carmelite monk known as Brother Lawrence said that "when I apply myself to prayer, I feel all my spirit and all my soul lift itself up without any care or effort of mine". I'm not one for prayer. I don't consider myself to be particularly spiritual either really but, I think that the act of making is like this for me.
It’s a kind of effortful effortlessness. A striving that becomes surrender. A reaching that feels like letting go. The quiet tension of release.
You push and you struggle. You apply yourself to the tedium. To the friction. To the monotony. And then discover that there's something carrying you.
Something whispers through the cracks of imperfect things.
The endeavor becomes an invitation.
And something pulls you up without you even knowing you needed it to.
P.S. ICAD - Day 143-145
P.P.S. - I came across an Open Call from Lodger Gallery (IG here) for an upcoming online exhibition centered around text-based art. I submitted a few of my digital, type-centric collages, which is the first time I’ve done that. I’ve struggled to take my digital, type-based work seriously because I’m not a graphic designer and I have no idea what I’m doing. But, two of the pieces were selected, so…um…yeah…shows what I know:
This is one of the best descriptions of prayer that I have seen. I think there's common misunderstandings about prayer and the effect of prayer. I think I was raised to think that prayer was sort of like writing a wish list to Santa and if you were good, you would receive your presents.
But as I've had continued experience with prayer and the effects of prayer in my life, I see that it's more of being in a constant prayerful mindset, or aspiring to be. I pray often, always as I am going to sleep, but also during my daily walks. I take the things I am worried about and change them into prayers for guidance and release. Usually after 20 minutes of prayerful walking, I feel better. After an hour, I feel renewed. After 90 minutes I feel joyful and creative. After 3 hours I am ready to writing a chapter of a book.
Prayer isn't talking to some genie in a bottle. For me, it's reconnecting to my center, to the source that is within all of us and finding the inner wisdom and peace that takes over when you come back to presence within your self, you are your own Higher Power.
Whew. You nailed that creative aura here. And congrats on getting your art accepted!!!! I really love the measure and the consequence.