Under the Surface: An Artsy Meditation Card
Duck Linoprint + Microessay
Hi friends.
Over the last few weeks, my morning walks have shifted from the two streets of my tiny neighborhood to a sprawling, million-dollar plus development about a mile away. Not for the glitz, but because the combination of summer sun and long walks tends to trigger migraines (even in the morning) that knock me out for entire days, so I need to develop the summer habit of walking before sunrise—and trying to cajole myself out of bed at 4:30 am needs a shot of novelty to establish itself.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not selling out. I just know that if I want to change the way my life operates in the external world, the behaviors beneath the surface have to shift. To force myself into the world while it’s still dark and cold and colorless makes it easier to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. To have unfamiliar options and paths to follow creates curiosity and a built-in necessity to navigate through awareness.
One of my favorite features of this venue is a pond where fountains spray and wildlife plays. I like to park near the hillside so when I circle back near my car, it’s easy to grab my backpack and rest on one of the hillside benches to write in my walking journal before heading back home. (You can see the bench just up and to the right of the fountain).
(as an aside, this fountain inspired one of my first linocuts I’ve not shared here yet—The Fountain of Forgiveness. Here’s a sneak peek.)
Sometimes longer walks take more energy than I anticipate. It’s refreshing to rest on the bench and watch birds of all kinds glide over the water. It’s a special treat when babies join the parade.
But while we see ease and effortless, peering below the surface belies this appearance:
These feathered friends invited a lot of contemplation on how we humans often appear to be calm on the surface when, in fact, we’re paddling through thoughts, emotions, and situations to stay alive. Even more—if we’re struggling to stay upright, so too are others.
This idea inspired my micro essay for the back of this week’s meditation card (see below), but in truth, the ducky linocut and prints came first. I sketched out a duck and ripples on my Speedball Easy Carve, traced it with a Sharpie, and started removing layers:
I chose a blue scrapbook paper as the background of the card and cut that into rectangles and deckled 10 pieces of Strathmore Drawing Paper (400 series) left over from my days of taking sketch classes years ago into 4x5 squares. Next, I rolled out water-based black printing ink plus a dot or two of ink retarder to make 10 prints.
After they dried, it was time to assemble.
Each print got double-sided scrapbook tape
Centered on the cardstock
Then signed on the front and stickered on the back with the micro essay
And out the door to yin students and a few strangers who were surprised and kind in their compliments, a beautiful mirror to the idea of kindness to all for struggles we cannot see.
Be kind. It’s an effort you’ll never regret.
