The Life of A Labyrinth-Minded Artist

(Grassroots Page 15)

Good day to you faithful and loving readers. I've received more responses to my 'Calmed Artist' articles and wanted to touch on one specific reader. I was invited to join her in a 'Labyrinth Walk' last Thursday. Since I was unavailable, I found the next best thing: I looked it up, and this is what I found:
“Come and experience a centuries old spiritual tradition. Walking the labyrinth is a sure way to tranquility, harmony and peace of mind. It is not a maze”…“Walking a labyrinth quiets the busy mind and inspires creative thinking.” (Clearly, Rebecca knows me well:) “The winding path can become a metaphor, a mirror for one's life. If you walk with an open mind and an open heart, the labyrinth can reveal joy, sorrows, insights, peace and healing. Labyrinth walking is for all people and all faith traditions; it is a way to come together in love, solidarity and understanding.” Sounds enticing doesn't it?
Last Thursday, I was walking the main streets of Okotoks, spreading “love, solidarity and understanding” with a new venture that the Arts Council is working on (more about that another time).
The artistic mind gets inspiration from such an endless array of outlets, casual events, social and political issues etc., that it leads to spreading ourselves thin. It is so easy to find ourselves in a labyrinth of busyness. Ironically, it is the quieted, calmed mind that creates the most expressive and powerfully-charged artwork. So, we must make the time to meditate, labyrinth-walk, pray, rest and just be, in order to really 'live' our creative lives well. Very recently, I was thanked by three of my soon-to-be high school graduate students. Separately, they told me my instructions on drawing helped them to see the process as being more important than the outcome, as well as seeing the 'bigger picture' first, rather than getting lost in the details. I was so enthralled both by their successes in their art portfolios, and acceptances into their prospective schools, I celebrated. And so should you. Whenever you have a great day, for whatever reason, be sure to celebrate, to commemorate the event. Congratulate yourself. Because figuratively, you have walked your own 'labyrinth of busyness'.

~Love and light from The Real Robin Thibodeau

RobiN Thibodeau
allseasonchick@gmail.com