Life as Practice. Life as Art.

Recently, it occurred to me that “art” is the byproduct of living with a mindful presence.

We were halfway through a ten-day intensive in Chinese martial arts and tea ceremony, where I had made the commitment (after twenty-two years of procrastination) to finally learn the basic Gong Fu sword forms.

Sitting around a stunningly crafted twelve-inch high wooden tea table after our sunrise practice, my fellow practitioners and I kept a noble silence while our master of tea gracefully poured us a third cup.

I had set my intention – that this cup be the one.

Please help me see what I have failed to see until now. Please help me get to know my blind spots. Open the doors in my mind, swiftly and gently, so that I can return home from this journey ready and even more inspired to create what’s next for me, and for my community. In ceremony, as in life, we receive what we make ourselves available for.

I breathed steadily and waited silently. My eyes scanned the room, while my thoughts lightly floated above the experience itself, drifting from time to time to moments in my past that had a foothold here.

While I didn’t know exactly what I was waiting for, I understood that patience was key. Once you set your intention, I reminded myself, the next step is not to do more. Rather, it’s to trust that you will receive.

The first door that opened was simply to beauty: the exquisite arrangement of the pastel flowers and green leaves on the corners of the table. The grain of the wood. The cracked lacquer that glossed the hand-made ceramic cups. The rich color and smell of the tea itself.

The hand of our master of ceremony caught my eye as she almost nonchalantly waved the pot over our neatly aligned cups, pouring the tea with a slight twist of the wrist and the utmost presence.

I watched as a few drops splashed out and between them – not on purpose… but neither entirely by accident, making an intricate pattern on the pale pink cotton cloth below.

It couldn’t have been more beautiful if she had tried. And that, I realized, was my lesson:

Art is what happens when we live our lives with exquisite presence, doing what we love.

It isn’t about the effort.

It’s about showing up… and paying attention.

As I witnessed her move through the process of this humble, dedicated act of service, I understood that her practice itself was both the source and the expression of beauty. And the byproduct of that service – a delightful smattering of water droplets on the previously pristine table top canvass – was the fruition of that gesture in physical form.

The truth is, every principle I teach in the Guts & Grace women’s embodied leadership method came into being in exactly this way: a byproduct of doing my life on purpose – and in so doing, making art. Perhaps this is why it has withstood the test of time.

This week I invite you to consider the art your life is making.

You might ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you practice regularly?
• With what type of presence do you practice?
• What traces of beauty would you find ‘left behind on the table’ you counted your life as art?

Whether your practice is making coffee, drinking wine, throwing pottery, dressing your children for school, making maps, designing video games, fixing broken things, or hiking in the redwoods, I encourage you to take yourself just a little bit more seriously this week.

Perhaps, whether you realize it or not, you are indeed leaving a trail behind. Perhaps this trail is beautiful. Perhaps it’s a kind of art.

Even if you don’t see yourself as an artist, it’s ok to take some ownership here.

Let’s just say you matter. Your imprints make an impact...

...and let’s just say you let that in.

With patience & presence,

LeeAnn