Balance

Teardrop vessel.  Detail.

The path to enlightenment is the Middle Way.

Siddhartha was required reading in my high school, so I encountered the idea of the Middle Way about the same drawing was becoming a habit.  As a I grew as an artist in both skill and spirit, I equated the Middle Way with balance.

Teardrop vessel.  Detail.

The Middle Way reminds us to keep our minds open, quiet, and alert, and contemplative.  As I became more mindful and contemplative of the way I composed a piece, my artwork became more balanced. In my art, through my graphic design training, I began to dialog with the positive and negative space, paying attention to the spatial relationships between elements and respecting the tension created between them, making sure to never overpower the piece with a lot of visual noise.  I stopped filling up spaces because I felt compelled to do so.  I began to place elements deliberately, and with cause.  I became aware that the quietness of the elements, balances the loudness of the visual pause.  As in the art of the De Stijl, simplifying the composition empowered each element, creating a piece that the viewer can relate to more easily.

And so it is with our day-to-day.  You speak with intent.  You listen quietly without judgement.  You balance the loudness of life with the quiet meditations that keep you centered.