Place du Forum

Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace, Place du Forum, Arles 1888

"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and lost my mind in the process" - Vincent Van Gogh

We live in a world of constant irony. In order to preserve that part of ourselves that remembers the inner beauty both we and the world around us hold, we must remember to participate in the very art that makes life worth living. The things that make us feel most alive connect us with the world around us, and humble us to our own creation. What survival fails to mention, is that as we age our responsibilities pile up - leaving us with less time connecting with life itself. I have found personally that with the attainment of goals, both personally and financially, I am found in this cycle of anxiety. With high ambition, comes a high amount of energy exerted to maintaining progress, hand in hand with the burnout and disappoint when the things you've worked tirelessly for are further in distance than you unrealistically expected. One moment you go from feeling as though you're nearing the finish line when in reality you've only passed a few laps. This can only be explained as debilitation. All motivation is lost, and you're met with the black hole of self doubt.

When I was younger I never fully comprehended or was able to appreciate the act of meditation. From an outside perspective you're unable to see the internal work that is taking place. The act of slowing your mind and focusing solely on the present can be a means of releasing all expection of one's self and merely existing in that moment, with no remembrance of past events or the overwhelming unknown that is the future. By allowing yourself to remain still, you are teaching yourself to fully experience the moment you are given. When we live our lives in a constant state of from here to there, we are depriving ourselves of the journey we are embarking on. Not all will be pleasant, as not all moments in life are expected to be, but being able to fully connect with yourself in either a state of prosperity or pain, you are learning to accept the moment for what it is. You can either choose to be appreciative that this moment too will pass, or for the joy the moment is providing currently. The base of our existence is nurished by appreciation.

The act of meditation can be encompassed of much more than simply sitting cross legged and imagining serenity. Meditation can be a form of art in which you choose to partake, taking a walk through your neighborhood, or even as simply as choosing to spend a moment with yourself no matter where you are. By connecting with yourself, you are reminding yourself of your life's value which further allows you to believe in yourself wholeheartedly, even if you temporarily meet defeat. By connecting with yourself a portion of your day, you're able to remain in that state of understanding and acceptance because you have connected and accepted your state of existence.

Van Gogh was just as human as you or I. He battled a life of both anxiety and depression and found solace in his act of painting. While he never faced notoriety during his lifetime, and inflicted his own death - he is succeeded by his great works. These paintings have become a source of inspiration and solace of their own to the viewer of his work. In his lifetime he never was able to experience the joy his work would bring to others centeries after his passing. His own representation and release of his own inner turmoil was able to be communicated to the world through his art. These representations of himself still remain in existence even after his own.

Remember the beauty in everything, and appreciate it in each opportunity.