The creator of a short documentary sent me a link to their video, and it’s definitely worth spending six minutes to watch. The video features Gert Johan Manschot, a Dutch artist who also practices meditation. He creates stunning paintings inspired by Zen calligraphy. Manschot resides in Texas, which wasn’t mentioned until later in the video; understanding this sooner would have made his mentions of longhorn cattle and cowboys less confusing.
Manschot talks about his creative process, which he describes as waiting for the painting to paint itself. It’s a beautiful way of explaining how creativity can flow more freely when there’s no attachment to the self. This resonates with my own experience that the less you involve your sense of “I” in creation, the more naturally the process unfolds.
This is a painter I’d love to learn more about, and I hope a longer documentary gets made about him. It’s a beautiful film. Thank you for sharing it.