Many years ago, as an art student, I learned to draw what is by drawing what is not. I learned to draw the negative space around the figure. This perspective opened…

One cold midwinter day, I went through my old notebooks—my collections of creative ideas, sketches, and scribbles. As I turned the pages, I was struck by the sheer volume of thoughts, half-formed concepts, and expressions.

As I begin creating a piece of art, I often pause to consider that I'm not just making a mark or representing a form but opening the door to a moment. In this initiatory act of creation, I enter into a dialogue with the world as it is, the timeless ground of now.

The great Zen masters taught that everything has inherent perfection. So, despite how it may sound, my art is perfect from the moment I begin.