Focus.


12

Focus.



One of the greatest errors of the student artist is the desire to fill the palette with a large array of colours and paints. On visiting an art supplier and faced with the many colours and hues of colours the artist can be easily lulled into feeling the need to have more and more in their possession; the feeling that the more we have the better we will work.

The Tao Te Ching says that colours can blind the eye. The more you have the more difficult it is to choose the ones that will be required to create the proposed work.

It is like standing in a crowded room with background music playing at the same time. The noise can make us deaf to the words of those we wish to communicate with.

Filling the mouth with too many flavours can destroy the enjoyment of the taste of each delicacy.

Being too busy and running here there and everywhere, we can end up achieving little and, in some cases, nothing positive being accomplished.

The sage, therefore, advises that we are guided not only by the senses but also by the inner feeling of what is needed and positive. This feeling can only come from preparing oneself by being calm and collected before making the first step towards the creative process.  To see what is real and what is necessary rather than haste and busyness.

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