This Magic Moment

Detail from a recent painting
(c) Lesley Powell 2016

"Living in the Moment"--we have all heard that expression. We have heard it so often, in fact, that it sounds trite. But the underlying message retains its power. 

Julia Cameron has written about this concept in her seminal book The Artist's Way. She refers to it simply as paying attention.  Cameron writes:

The quality of life is in proportion,

always,

to the capacity for delight.

The capacity for delight is the gift of

paying attention.

Moreover, Cameron writes that "The reward for paying attention is always healing." I was reminded of these truths recently, when I attended a community art show sponsored by Arts for Life. Arts for Life brings the arts to children in the hospital, tapping into their creativity to

inspire courage and promote healing. The theme of their recent art show was MAGIC.

I loved the words written by the AFL team to describe their project: "Magic lies within the art-making experience, and magic lies within the connection to the present moment. We combined these two ideas to inspire this artwork, created by patients at Levine Children's Hospital." AFL used the "I Spy" game as a fun and easy way to connect the kids to the present moment. They noted that "It is a grounding and calming practice to look around the room and notice colors, shapes, sounds, feelings, and more." The children then used what they noticed in the I Spy game to create designs for their artwork.

"Painter's Tools"
12 x 9, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016

As the AFL team concluded:

The magic of making art,

The magic of the present moment, and

The Magic of laughter, discovery, and joy for patients in the hospital...

All of this is the healing power of art.

And might I add: You need not be in the hospital to benefit from the delight that comes from paying attention, or to benefit from the healing power of art. We can all benefit from just paying attention. I am trying to pay extra attention to my everyday surroundings these days, and to express my reaction to them in still life paintings.

Of course you don't need to be a painter to pay attention--whether you cook, garden, build, write, sew, golf, or engage in any other activity--paying attention leads to delight and healing. Enjoy the magic of the moment.