My First Digital Ensō
I forget where I was, but a couple months ago I was compelled to asked a waiter about his tattoo. It was a simple black circle that looked like it had been brushed on his arm. I was surprised to find out that it had a lot of meaning including oneness, void, the beginning and end of all things.
I later found out that is it a sacred symbol in the Zen school of Buddhism and can have different meanings to different people. Interestingly I find myself drawing one digitally for one of the books I'm working on (Secret Journal of a Yogi). Even though it was not done with a single brush stroke, as the symbol is meant to be drawn, I still managed to be somewhat spontaneous and used very little corrections. I'm quite happy with the result.
I like the idea that the symbol can also represent a moment in time in the life of the artist when the mind is free to simply let the spirit create through the physical body. Apparently the symbol drawn by the artist reveals the movement and character of the artist and the ones who draw the circle with an opening suggests an openness to things. Some artists even start their day by first drawing the symbol almost as a meditative exercise before starting their work, sometimes with a quote next to it. Maybe I should incorporate that in my daily routine.
I like the idea that the symbol can also represent a moment in time in the life of the artist when the mind is free to simply let the spirit create through the physical body. Apparently the symbol drawn by the artist reveals the movement and character of the artist and the ones who draw the circle with an opening suggests an openness to things. Some artists even start their day by first drawing the symbol almost as a meditative exercise before starting their work, sometimes with a quote next to it. Maybe I should incorporate that in my daily routine.