Animals (and small children) live completely in the present. But in Chuck Jones’ hands, the domesticated Marc Anthony displays all the fears and anxieties of a fully-grown human adult, while Pussyfoot behaves like the typical animal/small child who lives fully in the moment. From the animated short, Feed The Kitty.
“The present is not fugitive and transient, but continually present and enduring.” — Martin Buber, Philosopher
We all know about living in the “precious present.” Yet, day in and day out, most of us fail. We’re bombarded by noise externally AND internally. And it’s probably accurate to say that most of us are now accustomed to this noise. Some of us even depend on it. Our fears, desires and tasks are bound to us like a ball and chain, even when they aren’t real or don’t ultimately matter in the big picture.
A famous scene from the Wachowski directed hit film, The Matrix.
So what does being present mean?
a) Breathing
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” — Sylvia Plath, Writer
Living presently means first breathing. Breathing deeply. We all know that without oxygen animal life ceases to exist. So, to live fully and live fully aware, we must periodically be conscious of our most basic operation of taking in air. Most of us are poor breathers. And we certainly don’t spend much time thinking about it. But many of the most important sources of nutrients and protective bacteria are taken into our bodies via breathing. Furthermore, slow deep breathing calms all of the mind, body and spirit. Very few things in life can offer us that. And it’s free.
b) Seeing
“A painting is not a picture of an experience, but is the experience.” — Mark Rothko, Artist
Most people look but don’t see. Seeing is an art in itself. It needs to be learned and practiced. This is why it’s so important that artists draw. It’s probably the best way to learn to see deeper and clearer. We LOOK HARD and UNOBSTRUCTED when we take note of things. The act of recording — with eyes, ears, and hands — raises our level of connection. This developed sensory acuity enables us to feel its full reality. It’s why most of the greatest artistic creations were done from life or at least inspired from life (and real emotion) whether the end product be representational or abstract.
Portrait of Gregory. British artist David Hockney has made some of the most sincere and authentic portrait studies of the 20th Century. His models consisted mostly of family, friends and close companions.
c) Listening
“That’s what dries a writer up…is not listening. That is where it all comes from. Seeing, listening.” — Ernest Hemmingway, Writer
We can learn to see, but without listening, we won’t absorb the truth. In order to be truly authentic to our hearts or to whatever it is we want to understand or represent in our art, we have to listen. To close our eyes and listen without bias, without preconception. This is how we attend to our creations. Animators, for example, need to spend copious amounts of time just listening to the voice track to see beyond the first impression. And a portrait artist might need to come so close as to almost touch his subject to do the same. Only in such ways do we have any hope of being true or original.
Portrait of the Artist’s Mother. Known to have come as close as an eyelash’s distance from his subjects, Lucien Freud’s process is a testament to careful observation (just look at those paisley designs!) This is pure unadulterated attention, risking all the comfort and securities that come with typical (and often formulaic) representational work.
d) Being Quiet
“Solitude is the place of purification” — Martin Buber, Philosopher
There is nothing like peace and quiet. It settles the mind, and is especially important for the ever-inquisitive mind of an artist. Today, we’re easily swayed by our passions hitching upon the caddy of audio-visual stimuli that bombards our consciousness. To be alone, without sound or speech offers us a counterbalancing offset. It’s unbelievably therapeutic. Finding silence slows everything down and helps to both isolate and expand time into much more flavorful moments.
d) Being mindful
“That’s what we are — a sequence of happenings, of processes, and by being very mindful of the sequences, of the flow, we get free of the concept of the self.” — Joseph Goldstein, Vipassana Teacher
Only thru understanding the ebb and flow of life and accepting its various formations can we live presently with peace, maturity and selflessness. As such, even states of failure, pain or loss can be recognized and then accepted with grace and gratitude. This is far better than veering off into the dark side of negativity; we fear what we don’t understand and awareness prerequisites the understanding that helps to diminish those fears. As Buddhist teachers are known to say; when we sit we know we’re sitting, when we eat we know we’re eating.
Rafiki, from The Lion King. The wise have understanding and thus, live without fear or anxiety.
Summary:
At the end of the day, what we all seek is happiness. For most of us that means a peace of mind and heart — something that brings balance, security and an acute consciousness of our presence on this planet. None of us know the future, and in truth, nor do we actually know that past. Our memories — like everything else in life — are all subject to change. We can only depend on the present. This means being truly attentive to our surroundings and being mindful of whatever we’re doing; breathing, seeing, listening and embracing silence. As life is a sequence of intentions, being present is the only way to do art (or life) properly.
“Eternity belongs to those who live in the present.” —Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosopher