The fountain within

An Art Essay

NARENDRA KINI integrates his work as a successful Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur with being an artist, a poet and a seeker of higher truth through meditative practices. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Global Touchpoints, and here he talks of how he finds his inspiration for creativity and art.

Meditation is evolving from thinking to feeling,
from feeling to being, being to becoming,
and finally going beyond.”
— Daaji

APPROACH

Meditation inspires

I have found that my own approach to art is inspired by meditation. It is a process of letting go of control and allowing something to emerge. I took to art after I was inspired by an inner calling that happened after a meditation session about five years ago.

The efficacy of a meditation practice can be also assessed by its impact on our attitude towards life. It provides us with a sense of perspective and creative freedom that is unmatched. Through invoking stillness in the mind and relocating our awareness center to the heart, meditation – within minutes – offers a blank canvas with a wide range of possibilities. “Writer’s block” and “artist’s cul-de-sac” are common terms. Creativity can get stumped and inspiration can dry up, and we often look for external sources to revive these things. This approach is sometimes successful, but I have found the real fan to the creative flame lies within us. And if we lose that spark, we may irreparably dry up our authentic sense of creative direction. A visit to the fountain within will rarely fail to quench the thirst for inspiration. My personal realization is that paying attention to the inner condition, being centered in stillness and contemplation enables the manifestation of creative work. It is not to say that the work will be perfect, but it will be truly your own.

CONSCIOUSNESS

The way in which meditation liberates an artist’s creativity can be very nurturing to the soul. No matter how focused we are while working on art, no matter the physical environment we are in, if the mind is not steady and the body is not relaxed, very little is actually created. By turning inward, centering our awareness, and being heartful, we are free to express our own truth. Furthermore, we are able to trust ourselves and our innate creativity.

Meditation is food for the soul and the very source of inspiration for my creativity. When under stress, inspiration can become elusive. A relaxed body and a calm mind provide us the opportunity to become observers of ourselves, pause with patience, and wait for an idea, image, or concept to germinate at the core of our being. This puts us in a “flow,” or a rhythm of sorts. While the ultimate purpose of meditation could be spiritual, a way to expand our consciousness, it can very well be a beautiful and simple way to tap into the limitless potential of our being.

GURU & GUITAR

Inner inspiration

In his book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell prescribes 10,000 hours of practice as the “magic number for true expertise.” Inspired by the idea behind this, I challenged myself to turn creating art into a habit. It is said, “Sow a habit and reap a destiny.” Now, I am not sure if I have gone that far, but I have certainly reaped a touch point. I like to think that the art I create is not just something to look at, but something that hopefully touches and inspires hearts.

VIBRATIONS

If anyone is on a creative journey – be it writing, sculpting, painting or singing – when we take silent time to meditate, a shift happens within. Our consciousness expands, our awareness deepens, and we come into the presence of what Albert Einstein described as the most beautiful emotion we can experience – the underlying power of all true art and science. Now, neuroscience is showing through brain mapping that such qualities are available to all who meditate regularly, creating the mental and emotional conditions in which they are most likely to flourish.

Inner guidance – intuition

Regular meditation, like the practice of Heartfulness, has the potential to help us get into a deep state each time, thereby strengthening our inner intuition and connection to the heart. The heart is where feelings reside, and connecting to it strengthens our sense of intuition. This intuition fans the creative spirit in us, guiding us to pursue the right idea or concept. When regular meditation is intensified, it becomes the very inner bedrock of spiritual confidence to progressively invest in a vocation.

TOWARD THE CENTER

Inner true self – authenticity

Meditation helps us connect with the inner true self – the soul – awakening us to who we really are, independent of perception of the outer world. Meditation helps create a balance between the mind and the heart (soul), thus enabling us to birth creativity with equanimity and ease.

INNER LIGHT

Inner cleaning – rejuvenation

When we open the gateway to our soul and nurture our inner self, a natural sense of grace ensues, and light becomes our very being. That aspect of our prana – that enlightened, elevated state – allows us to embrace the magnificent completeness of our being, despite its blemishes, limitations, fears, inadequacies, imperfections and other barriers. As we travel on our own yatra (journey), even with the simplest of meditation practices, true expression as an artist emerges. All we need is an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to explore our inner world.

FIRE PURIFIES

Meditation cleanses and nourishes the spirit. It helps us approach our empty canvas with an unbiased subconscious and enables us to arrive at calmness. Cleaning out our impressions at the end of each day enables us to remove past impressions – thoughts bound by emotions. It enables us to let go of feelings of fear, sadness, and anger, which can make us emotionally weak and unbalanced, in turn affecting our creative expression.

Article and art essay by NARENDRA KINI