The Mental Arts Tidbit (Mar. 2)

Making Magic

The Mental Arts Tidbit for the Day

Current Musing

Where the magic happens is a place of in-betweens
Of the golden ratio between the end and the means
A snap of the fingers and a flick of the wrist
The sly hand gestures of an illusionist
A wave washing over lines in the sand
A floating blade hanging by a strand
An unreal mirage created through lies
Tricks played upon our blinded eyes
And now for my final disappearing act
I question the perception you see as Fact

This poem, called “My Renaissance,” was written when I was studying urban sketching principles. DC is home to a lot of beautiful architecture, if you look beyond the classical Roman designs into the tucked away homes underneath gingko trees. I marveled at how it was the spaces between my lines, not the lines themselves, that helped create a sense of perspective, space, and depth.

Poetry, for me, has always been highly visual and about how our perceptions are not always what we think at first. I try to write poetry that can be read by 5 different people and interpreted 6 different ways. I think that this speaks to the uniqueness of each individual’s experience, while simultaneously allowing them to be connected by a common narrative.

Bringing this back to martial arts, there’s a lot to say here. When we train in a rich style, full of different tools and methods, it can be tempting to try to settle down on *the* answer or way that will help you. It’s not our fault that we humans want to have certainty in what we do, yet, I’ve found that in letting go of our need for answers, we create so many more opportunities for different experiences. In allowing ourselves to play in the space of the in-between, we can have magical moments.

Try This Tidbit

Part of making magic in the spaces that you are in is the willingness to let go of assumptions or conventions. What is one assumption that you make about your training, life, work, or creativity? How can you begin to challenge that today?