Lots of people use nature to help them be more mindful. Those that live in the country can wake early, walk outside, watch the sunrise over the mountains, smell the fresh grass, listen to the trees rustle. Nature can be a huge help in the effort to be mindful. Not so easy in the city. Nature is not readily available (unless of course the tree fenced in and planted in concrete outside your building is enough). Yes, there are the parks, and the river, and the beaches, but you have to make an effort to go there. We in the city have to rely on other things to be mindful. For me, that is often art.

 

Art has a way of waking us up, asking us to stop and pay attention just a bit and in a new way. Art helps us keep a beginners mind. And the people behind the art are often passionate. The physical therapist/actor, the carpenter/musician, the massage therapist/painter, the checkout woman/clothing designer, the dishwasher/aspiring chef. So many people choose to make the city their home to pursue art. It is part of what makes it such an interesting vibrant place to live.

 

This past weekend, my wake up happened at a film festival. I went to see an old friend and his documentary, “Dig Comics.” His passion about the movie and the subject matter (getting people to read comic books and graphic novels) got me to begin reading comics and to appreciate the art form. In addition to his movie, there were also several “art cars” parked outside the theater for the screening of “Automorphosis,” about the people who make these moving art exhibits. There was the Mondrian Mobile, painted like a Mondrian masterpiece. There was the Fantasy Van, covered in brass objects and coins. And the Camera Van, covered in cameras, some which worked and recorded peoples’ reactions.

 

Some found the cars weird. Other found them silly. Some saw “fine art” and others just explored, in awe of the effort. Regardless of the response, people stopped, and saw, and paid attention. They engaged us in being present and open to a new experience.

 

Art, whether visual, auditory, or gastronomic is everywhere in the city. It is in the mural on the building in the East Village or the Bronx. It is in the design of the brownstones in Brooklyn and the modern towers of Manhattan. It is at the museums, but also in the chalk drawings on the sidewalks. It is in the music played by the woman in the Subway Station or the men playing Mariachi on the train. Pay attention. Let it help your effort to be mindful.