A Proposition for Life Art Part 2

By Jon Keppel

This is a testimonial and follow up to the initial writing by this title meant to take the historical foundation that was laid out in Part 1 into a next phase that asks what does life as art look like in the world through a life lived?  Who are some of the people who in my estimation are living examples of life art in practice?

First, I would like to speak of some people who I feel are good examples of life as art in action.  Though I do not know these people personally and none of them would likely self-identify as life artists, I have spent a significant amount of time with the ideas and daily practices that they live by and I feel that they embody this notion of life art.  Remember that the term life art can completely be done away with if it impedes understanding or actualization of the associated principles and activities that I speak of here.  A happy, healthy, fulfilling life for all is the goal in the end. 

Here are some of the people that I have been studying for some time now.  There is Ashley Turner who is a yogini and psychotherapist who taught me that you have to learn to love yourself first before all else and continue the practice of that realization throughout your whole life.  There is Brainard Carey who is an author, artist and educator who taught me to dress for success, be yourself, walk for your health, read daily and never give up on your dream of being an artist. There is Andy Puddicombe who is the co-founder of Headspace which is a meditation app.  From Andy I learned the basic principles of modern-day meditation and drew knowledge and inspiration to establish a ten-minute daily meditation routine which included a body scan and attention to breathing.  

There is also Mingyur Rinpoche who is a Buddhist monk that taught me a great deal.  Mingyur Rinpoche taught me that though peace and calm might be an effect of meditation the essence of meditation is awareness.  He also taught me about formal and informal meditation where formal practice is where one sits with eyes closed for example focusing on the breath at ten to twenty minutes at a time.  Informal practice is when that awareness cultivated during such formal practice is incorporated into the entirety of the day during all twenty-four hours as support for one’s experience of life.  

I want to also mention Jon Kabat-Zinn who is a primary pioneer of modern-day mindfulness in the West.  He is an author, speaker and mindfulness practitioner.  He has inspired me greatly.  With the guidance of his teachings, I learned to incorporate a twenty to twenty-five minute morning meditation that focuses in on the breath.  A style following the fundamentals of his teachings focuses in on the breath with attention, being non-judgmental, being present and doing so on purpose. 

Yet another person that I want to mention in very related terms is Eckhart Tolle who is an author, speaker and spiritual teacher.  Eckhart Tolle taught me about being present, aware and in the now.  He taught me how the ego is mind made and how we can all learn to tap into the living presence that is our true self as we let go of the overactivity of thought, learning to feel what is real.  Though never dispelling it directly, Tolle rarely uses the word God and instead refers to presence.  I learned a great deal from this person including about the unmanifested realm that lies beneath all things.  

This sentiment reminds me of what I have taken away from my readings on Taoism including most significantly the book The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, an ancient text about a way of being that is beyond words altogether yet manifest in all that is and is not.  The word manifest brings to mind the concept by that name that is associated with what is called the law of attraction in modern times.  It is a method of consciously bringing into being what it is you most desire by constantly and consistently placing your thoughts mixed with ardent feeling on that which you want the most which is commonly known as manifesting.  This has to do with the forms and experiences that do arise in the world and life in addition to the unmanifested realm that is beneath all being and time.  

The list continues with people billowing out who have inspired me with their thoughtful and careful nature.  A local therapist and visualization practitioner named Dreama Whitfield taught me about the deeply respective nature of what she calls cognitive art. Hearing that phrase first started to formulate in my mind (and quite frankly as my mind) that art could be a way of thinking rather than what it is that gets thought about and more importantly a type of thinking that gets incorporated into the entirety of one’s life.  Another woman named Laura Curwood inspired me about the connection of the art world to the real world with her writings and talks about how these two spheres could use some more alignment, communicating and joint-fruition.  Yet another woman, Suzie Frazier inspired me to continue to consider art as wellness, delving into how art can heal and fortify us through daily mindful practice that focuses in on the person just as much as the complimentary material aestheticism.

All of these people and many, many more have inspired me to keep going with my conception of art as life which was first conceived upon reflecting on a lifetime of art practice through reflecting on these ideas and people and conversing with my aunt to unpack the revelations lying within.  My experience working at a café also inspired my thoughts on all of this.    The thinking  evolved to delve into the ways by which such an understanding can be practiced in everyday life for the betterment and fulfillment of one’s soul, spirit or however one identifies.  My conclusion from what I have learned so far is that life is a place to mindfully manifest your dreams with heart, soul and true resolve, becoming the best version of yourself, in line with the highest good in a compassionate way that will resonate out into the world with helpful and healing vibrations for the betterment of all living beings.  It will even find resonance with the paradoxical nature of material reality which is both extremely delicate and fiercely strong.  We too are this mixture of delicacy and strength.  Being mindful, being present, being aware and living life as an ongoing work in progress, as a living work of art is the manner by which we literally breathe life into the miraculous nature of all that there is, truly being ourselves.  Such is the nature of the life art that I speak of in that we are now, we are here and we are innately good.  Art can be the craft of life if you open and attend to this aspect of your heart with potential in a personally meaningful yet compassionately aware way of being in the world.