How to See – Day 10

[Today’s featured artwork for Day 10 of the 365 Days Project is by Jeffrey Anderson.]

Anyone can draw a tree. An artist will capture its essence.

#10 – Art is not just technique. It’s about seeing the world like an artist.

A wise art mentor once told me, “I’m not going to teach you how to draw, I’m going to teach you how to see.” How did I learn to “see like an artist?” I didn’t. I always knew how to do it. I simply had never learned the value of that kind of perception because it’s often seen as weird or silly in the “real” world. My mentor brought me to it by creating a safe place for me to explore this “artful perception” without judgement.

There’s a quote by the thirteenth century Zen master Dōgen that perfectly explains this way of seeing. Allowing for a loose interpretation for the purpose of this article, the quote can suggest that Before Art, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. During Art, mountains are the thrones of the spirits and rivers are the voices of wisdom. After Art, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers.

Here is Dōgen’s original writing:

“Before one studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are no longer waters; after enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters once again waters.”
Dōgen

It’s all about how you see.

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The 365 Days Project

In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.

Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.

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Descriptions of the images included in this post:

Regaliz 4
Jeffrey Anderson, New York, USA
Photograph

Stalled
Jeffrey Anderson, New York, USA
Photograph