So are there any artists out there who do not feel the pain of rejection if their work is criticized or ignored or rejected? I would love to hear from you. I cannot claim to be such a one. The other day I was telling a couple of friends, one an artist, about my upcoming digital show in Seattle and was waxing enthusiastic about the opportunity to have my work seen by 300 people at once. One called me a “hippy” and the other wondered if I knew that “light shows” were a dinosaur leftover from the Sixties. Wow, did that churn up some emotions! I ruminated on those comments for hours, instead of just letting them go and getting on with whatever was happening in the moment.

I have seen Tibetan sand mandalas on two different occasions and was very inspired by the patience and skill of the monks, crouching in uncomfortable positions, slowly funneling millions of tiny sand grains into exquisite and intricate patterns of spiritual symbology. For them the process and act of creation is the reality, the expression of Buddha Mind. They are supremely unattached to any result and the end product is swept up and placed into an urn, only to be ceremoniously spilled into a nearby river, or thrown to the winds. Then they go to another location and start all over again.

Would that I be as unconcerned about reactions to my art, to my bruiseable ego, neither of which truly exists. Oh well, it gives me something to strive toward. Awareness is the key. If you are an artist then it is your job to lend beauty and meaning to people’s lives, to give them a glimpes into realms that are unexpressible in other ways. Is it possible for you to see that it is all a process that arises from Universal Consciousness and not take it personally? I sincerely hope you will be able to shed light on this important aspect of your creative life.

Here is a mandala titled “Growth” and can be purchased from my website at http://www.artbyinglis.com With hands palm to palm, I bow and say thank you for your interest in my art and the process of creation.

Growth

Growth