Zen and the Art of Drawing

When I was a young artist, in my twenties, I studied with a Zen master for a bit. He taught me to sit zazen. After a period of time, I stopped sitting. That’s another story.

However, I have been practicing zazen for many years, at least in my own way. There’s a certain way that I draw that immediately catapults me into that state of near-nothingness that formal sitting used to bring. You’ve probably done this yourself without realizing it. It’s commonly called “doodling.” I call it lizard brain drawing. See the video below for an overview on how to do this. But you already know how, don’t you? I’m using a Sharpie in this video but for my permanent work I use this archival black marker.

It’s a wonderful way to ease your mind and bring on that state of bliss. I highly recommend it.

And if anyone asks you what you’re doing, just tell them “zazen.”