Lillian Sizemore From the Mind's Eye – Mandalas, Mosaics, Art, Life!

Dilemma: you WANT to make something, not knowing where or how to begin.

Begin, by looking within.

In yogic terms, this SPACIOUS GAZE is known as Drishti (pronounced: drish-ty). This is a point from where your concentration is directed inward.

When we begin to use our gaze or awareness as a metaphor for focusing consciousness toward a vision of oneness, the motivation for making art changes dramatically. Our fixation becomes less goal-oriented. The ideas come into sharper focus, oddly, the more we soften.

I sometimes instruct students to SQUINT at their work or mosaics. This allows a different way of seeing: tightening up the patterns and colors, softening the edges and pulling elements together to see “what’s next”.

The drishti technique is similar, but it also engages our mind to be free of expectation. It’s firing a different part of our brains.

You may have played the visual perception game called the Rubin Vase?

SOFTEN your GAZE at a central point on the design, one minute you see two profiles, the next it is a vase. Which one is the Truth?

Where our eyes are directed, our attention follows.

When creating

Be kind to yourself

Dive in

Soften the eyes

Work with a sense of boundless kinship

Give thanks