{"id":1463,"date":"2013-01-14T09:01:13","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T14:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/awakeintheworld\/?p=1463"},"modified":"2013-01-14T09:01:13","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T14:01:13","slug":"the-humbling-experience-of-starting-from-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2013\/01\/the-humbling-experience-of-starting-from-zero.html","title":{"rendered":"The Humbling Experience of Starting from Zero"},"content":{"rendered":"

How often have you wanted to try something new and then let fear or embarrassment block the way? As part of my New Year\u2019s resolution I decided to start an art class. I\u2019m terrible at drawing and generally use collage for creative expression, so becoming an art student means pretty much starting from zero and putting myself in the equivalent of an artist\u2019s kindergarten class. The teacher asked me to bring an image that I\u2019d like to work with. I brought several and she picked a wall drawing of two beautiful Sri Lankan women. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With a three by four foot blank paper in front of me, the teacher showed me how to roughly draw out a grid on the paper and also on the image of the women. \u201cGo ahead and start,\u201d she said. I sat there for a few moments not knowing where to begin. In that blank space, not knowing and wanting to progress, I picked up the pencil and drew the curve of a shoulder, a line for the forearm, the tilt of the woman\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

And I recalled \u2013 this is what it\u2019s like to return to zero. It\u2019s humbling. The mind goes blank and has no supports. It simply aspires. I saw what I wanted to draw, but a gap existed between the act of drawing and my imagination of what I wanted to accomplish. Part of life is about learning to create. And creating what we see with the mind\u2019s eye comes into being through practice.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m only at the beginning of my art adventure, but I aspire to learn enough to express myself. It may not be easy to break out of the comfort zone and try something new. But putting one’s self in a place of learning is a way to remain fresh and childlike. It opens the door to the child\u2019s mind. Determined, playful, adventurous. If there\u2019s something you\u2019ve always wanted to do \u2013 belly dance, bunji jump or learn to tango, then take the plunge. A whole new world of expression may open up to you and ignite your creative spirit.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a> and \u201cGarden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery<\/a>\u201d (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a> and on Facebook at: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How often have you wanted to try something new and then let fear or embarrassment block the way? As part of my New Year\u2019s resolution I decided to start an art class. I\u2019m terrible at drawing and generally use collage for creative expression, so becoming an art student means pretty much starting from zero and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,26,125,3],"tags":[346,949,952,953,947,345,951,872,8,948,950],"class_list":["post-1463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-meditation","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-awake-in-the-world","tag-beginners-mind","tag-creative-expression","tag-creativity","tag-daring-to-try-something-new","tag-debra-moffitt","tag-first-steps","tag-garden-of-bliss","tag-joy","tag-starting-from-scratch","tag-starting-over"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Humbling Experience of Starting from Zero - Awake in the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Humbling Experience of Starting from Zero - Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How often have you wanted to try something new and then let fear or embarrassment block the way? 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