I created this mandala in response to a challenge from a new group I joined, Mandala Oasis. The challenge is “Explore a practice”.
I have been asked how I do my mandalas so I am going to try and explain my process and hope it makes sense. I usually get in the ‘zone’ so far I have a hard time explaining it but I purposely ‘watched myself’ so to say.
I have found that I think better if I create a haiku and then the mandala. As I thought about the challenge of ‘explore a practice’ I thought about where creative ideas come from. This was the first haiku that came to mind:
Opening your mind
Reveals creative thoughts
Cirlce them and bloom
I wanted to show how ideas come from the outside, enter our mind, swirl around until they ‘bloom with a creative thought’. As I progressed with the mandala another haiku came to mind:
Once in awhile
The idea blossoms hot
Happiness is born
As I progressed the ideas were coming hot and heavy, (“I think I need something here and a color there and so on”). When I thought I was done, another haiku came to mind:
Explore the practice
Minds are full of ideas
Just reap the riches
It was at this point that I thought of adding the little bubbles and it seemed to pull it all together.
As I look at every mandala I have ever done I wonder where it all comes from. I am also so relaxed when I finish one so I know they are good for me.
As I look at this mandala it seems chock full of ideas that are bursting to get out. I would be interested in what you think and feel when you look at it.
I almost always use sharpies in a Handbook sketchbook and occasionally a mandala just calls for black paper.
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