The idea of not trying. and that even for months. is really a crazy idea where i did not try anything.

At this stage i will not make any connections with drawing. so let me write more.

The idea of not trying and just sitting or standing or whatever and not doing anything is a crazy thought and also a crazy way of working, but might turn out to be a very very effective way of working. Just because you don’t do anything.

Not doing does not mean you don’t get up from your bed, brush your teeth, have breakfast and go to work or work on your laptop etc. But in this case, doing but without anyone letting know that you are doing something. Let me give an example.

Suppose i go every day to the bus station and take a bus to go somewhere and i repeat this every day for many years. Who will see this as me doing something. Who ?

Write your answer here:

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Now, what you see is what i wrote, that i went to a bus stand to take a bus but did you see the non doing things here ? When i reached the bus station. I did not do any thing but wait for the bus. When the bus came. I boarded it. Again i did not do anything while waiting for the bus to come.

Now, share with me what else do you see that i did, or could be doing without me telling you what i was doing there at the bus stand. Because i did something by just being there and not doing anything. What do you think i could be doing?

Write your answer here:

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Now whatever that you might have written can be seen as relevant or irrelevant. But what really matters is that sometimes we just don’t have to do anything to do something which could take days, weeks, months to happen on its own. Like if i go and sit on a chair for weeks, months. You will see that there is a recession in the cushion of the seat. But you will not see that i am being consumed as an object by others as being seen everyday as i make my way to that chair. There will not be a recession in the eyes of the person who is seeing me walk past them as i go to the chair and sit on it. Everyday i put on the shoes and use them, use them up, consume its inner sole and the bottom of the shoes sole for my purpose of walking.

Can you identify something in your life as an act of doing something in which you are doing nothing. yet it has yielded you surprisingly great results? If so, write it here:

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Lets try to make a connection with drawing here:

Everyday as you begin to work, think of a material which comes to you as something you would like to work with on that day. Instead of making it as a chore to work with that material. Just think of it and see what happens during the day. Your desire to work with it will be dependant on how important it is on that day. Who knows it comes to you as a very important thought but nothing happens afterwards. Its ok. Let it be. The most important connection we are making is that you don’t really do anything about it except identify the fact that you desire something on that day. And that day comes everyday.

The same formula will apply in drawing also. The actual moments of drawing. where they might also be acts of not doing anything.