New Lessons: The Sand Mandala

I am learning something new, slowly as it sinks in. Prompted by the fascination my son Evan has with mandalas, my wife and I recently stopped in quite spontaneously at a local gallery, to watch a sand mandala being meticulously created. Since then, I’ve been wrapping my very western brain around this beautiful thing. Some insights are finally crystallizing now, a month later.

First, I struggle to focus on one thing at a time. I haven’t made progress on this as I have aged. If anything, I am more fragmented in my attentions now than when I was younger. I know there is more within me to create; my dreamscapes are fantastic, visually rich and unlikely. Yet my creative outputs are often mundane. I envy artists who find a place of singular focus, producing beautiful ‘unlikely’ things that resonate with others and endure the test of time.

Second, especially as I get older, I often see futility in creating more new things. I was probably the first person to develop Pinterest fatigue because of the platform’s impact on imagination. I often think of Vincent Gardenia’s character in Moonstruck, shouting “Everything’s temporary!” The sand mandala, its intricacy, its apparent perfection, only lasts a few hours before it is wiped away. It is, in a sense, created to be wiped away. I haven’t found a way to reconcile that in western thought. It doesn’t want to fit into my self-centered brain.

Last, part of the lesson, at least for now; I am a sucker for a list of things to do. I impose structure on most anything. I am anxious when there is nothing “to do”. The Saturday we saw the mandala was a day we deliberately set out with no agenda. No exact plan. We came upon the mandala as it was being created. I can count on one hand the Saturdays in the last 20 years I have not had a structured list of things to do. What have I missed as I have ticked down all those lists? I recall the pleasure of working on Sona Chawla’s team when I was at Kohl’s. She loved the idea of serendipity and spoke often about happy happenstance in the creative journey. Another idea that I know is true but struggle to practice.

No conclusions on any of this yet. I am happy to be on a new journey. I am looking to unlock something out of it and wanted to share the discovery. Please share if this resonates with you!