inspiration
The Work of This Moment
Life Lessons in the Painting Studio
by Sarah oblinger
P
ainting is a way to cultivate
present moment awareness. The
studio, paired with some simple
materials, is a safe container to explore
meeting life with presence. When
painting is easy, it feels spacious.
When it’s hard, it is hard to feel any-
thing but the hardness. Painting offers
a direct experiencing of what is arising
in the moment. It invites us to breathe
deeply and ask, “What’s underneath
this hardness? What’s there when there
is only staying with the feeling and
keeping the brush moving?”
When given permission to paint
and feel, without changing or fixing
what we're feeling, we are able to
explore a softening towards the hard-
ness. Standing in front of the white
piece of paper, we are unveiled, ready
to practice meeting ourselves without
struggling so hard against what we
Prayer: Whatever happens. Whatever what is is is
meet. Permission to create this way is
what i want. only that. But that. ~ galway Kinnell
a powerful antidote to work with feel-
ings we don't want or like. This is done when painting to cultivate present waking up sparks another softening in
with courage, with love, and there is moment awareness is trusting what the hardness. At first it may feel awk-
no doing it perfectly. wants to be painted, even if it doesn’t ward to paint this way, but it is this way
While painting we are challenged look right or make sense. When we of creating that wakes us up to living
to accept who we are, what we are are willing to stand in not knowing, with more presence.
painting as our mind chatters away. We with our feelings, not saying no to any Painting is friendly ground for the
find fearlessness to pick up the brush. images—whether they are pleasant, work of this moment. We paint and
We find bravery and breathing as we gross, or joyous—a fierceness for living meet ourselves. We take creative risks
dip the brush into a color. Then, as takes root in our hearts. If the paintings and discover compassion for ourselves.
our hand moves across the paper, we aren’t labeled, analyzed or interpreted Through creative expression we cul-
find some hardness, some resistance, there is room to acknowledge and ac- tivate presence and soften our hearts.
to what is being painted. There are cept all of who we are. This is radical. With gentle attention and a willingness
judgments: "The painting doesn’t make Painting from this place of freedom, we to open to our innate creativity, we
sense. The colors are ugly. It doesn’t experience ourselves fully here. start listening to what lives inside our
look the way I saw it in my head. I Respecting what lives in us and hearts. As our expressiveness opens up,
guess I’m just not that creative." In that wants to be painted is another experi- we open up. Present. In this moment.
moment, while painting, we are invited ence of how painting teaches us to Meeting life. a
to meet ourselves with friendliness; to meet life. When we respect our efforts
soften the hardness we are experienc- and the images coming from us, trust-
Sarah Oblinger teaches painting and
ing. Each time we do this there is a ing how they are being expressed,
sensing workshops from her home
deep shift in us that allows more pres- staying with the painting as long as
studio in Dixon, NM and nationwide.
ence in our living. is needed, even when we our full of
See SarahOblinger.com or ProcessArts.
One of the things we experience doubt, our aliveness can wake up. This
com for more information.
September 2009 15
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