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Ven. Myohye Do’an is a Zen Buddhist monk and contemplative artist and crafter. He combines his training in meditation and mindfulness practice with creativity to make contemplative handcrafts and arts.
There are two approaches to creative contemplative work. The first focuses on the process of creating something, with little regard to the end product. The purpose is to pay attention to the mind and body as it is engaged in creating. The second approach focuses on the product. The purpose of this approach is to create an object that is related in some way to the contemplative practices of mindfulness and meditation. This is the method that produces Christian icons and Buddhist thangka paintings. Both approaches, no matter whether it is process or product-oriented, hold the same intention of merging the creative process with contemplative awareness.
Artist statement: “For me making art and crafts are both a creative and a spiritual process. Through the act of creation, I become mindful and meditative and attuned to my senses. My whole being, as a means of awakening, enters an experience of contemplation and opens to the sacredness of the present, in order to create a beautiful object that can then serve as a source of inspiration and healing itself.
Because of this approach, the body of my work changes often, as I explore different materials, methods of creating, and subjects. I may find myself captivated by drawing for a time, engaged by seeing the world in shades of grey; and another time exploring color through pigment, by creating watercolor pieces using paint made from crushed gemstones, or perhaps intrigued by crocheting flowers, using different kinds of yarns to best mimic stems, leaves, and petals.
I have, in the last several years, found a special connection to fiber. There is something quite powerful and mysterious in the gathering, processing, and production of fiber into a medium that I can use to create. Currently, my contemplative engagement is through spinning fibers into yarn, weaving, and crocheting.
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