Mussar-themed art

Mussar teaches that life is a curriculum, that each of us is meant to master something in our life.  Mussar is composed of the study of specific inner traits.  My study partner asked me to create a piece of art for her with her list of 12.  I thought about it for awhile and, I admit, I procrastinated.

When she asked a second time, I got to work.  I knew it was just the push I needed to get back into creating art again.  Why resist if it’s something I feel called to do? Not sure about that one, but I think it has something to do with saving the best for last. But these days, I’m going with the “eat dessert first” mindset and getting paint and glue on my hands every day.

I sat for a few minutes pondering and waiting for guidance to strike me.  I find that if I listen and am open to ideas, my eyes will wander to exactly the thing I need. The inspiration for this piece was the color wheel hanging on my bulletin board.  I decided to make 3 – one for my friend, one for me, and one to give to Alan Morinis, director of The Mussar Institute who was going to be visiting Houston.

I matched the colors on the color wheel exactly, mixing until I found the right hue.

Sometimes the “Mussar definition” of a word is different from what you’d normally think it would be.  For instance, silence is not simply lack of sound.  It is knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.  It recognizes the potentially disastrous results that words can cause.  Finally, calming the inner chatter and spending a few minutes sitting quietly once or twice a day.

Patience is not just remaining calm in the face of chaos.  It is more about moving from being self-focused to being other-focused.  We should know our place in the world, not getting too worked up about something that shouldn’t even concern us.  Focus on what’s in your power to control and try to let the rest go.  And, it’s also about taking a breath and pausing so you can respond to something in the proper way, not instinctively reacting.

Giving the piece to Alan a couple weeks ago was really meaningful.  He appreciated the detail and the spectrum of character traits with their meanings.  Since then, I have been making other Jewish art and I have pages and pages of ideas for the future.