老師Benno Nijhuis教我們以藝術打破隔膜

Dear students, colleagues, friends

Living in cold and wet England I watch the daily news and connect with my dear friends and colleagues in the Mainland China and Hong Kong to be well informed about the Corona virus and its huge effects on your daily life. I hear and read how public life comes to a still stand. Fear strikes the hearts of people. Fear for illness and death. Fear for losing the job. Fear to be cut off from food supplies. This global virus touches us all. Now It shows its effects in Europe and America.

Whether we talk about climate changes, pollutions of the oceans, the fires in Australia, the deforestation of the Amazon area, development of 5G internet or the corona virus: it shows that we cannot escape any longer in unconsciousness, lies, selfishness, denial, material comfort, humiliation, wars and increasing polarization. Life on Earth…….and the further development of mankind is severely at stake. We have to take responsibility for the Earth, ourselves and the others.

What can we do to bring a stop to the threatening forces which are working at present moment inside and outside us? One thing is for me very clear: we need to reconnect with our spiritual origin. We need to develop awareness (a kind of RE-MEMBER) of who we really are. Anthroposophical study can be a great help in this. We need to develop Will instead of our selfish will so destiny can be fulfilled as it is meant to be. I am aware that these words sound great…. but at the same time, it arises the question: what can we do personally?

Considering the corona virus our main focus is: avoiding, surviving, finding medicine to cure the illness and get back to control of life. Of course, we must take care of the well-being of our physical body. As an art teacher, I also experience how art nourishes and heals the soul…. especially in these times which we experience as scaring and threatening. The heart (soul) is the CENTER of our being which balances our whole being. It maintains the communication between the Spirit and the physical member of our being.

“WE CAN BE THE CHANGES WE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD”

Artistic work reinforces our heart and well-being. It radiates into the world which is so in need. Art brings spirit into earth and transforms it. It is like yeast which helps us to grow and overcome our “lower ego”.

Dear friends, the advantage of the difficult time though which we go is, that we have TIME. Time to be together and meet. Time to meet ourselves. Time to meet beauty. Time to meet questions which long for true answers. It is a time in which we can elevate ourselves (and others) by developing artistic creative forces.

I am happy to offer you some suggestions which might support you to use the “unexpected given holidays” as beneficial as possible in your process:

Suggestions:

Use oil crayons and draw weaving forms in a continuous movement. Start with the movement which finds gradually its form. Just like flowing moving water which leaves its traces……. on the beach. Keep the crayon moving. Too slow moving brings you into thinking. Too fast drawing creates chaos. Allow yourself to be NOT perfect. You can find beautiful examples in “Celtic Knots”. Please Google for this. Start simple.

Paint wet-in-wet in one or two colors (ultra-marine, carmine-red, or vermillion-red, lemon-yellow) and “listen” to what the colors want. Be patient and gentle to yourself. Feel, see and move. Avoid to strong colors….. they have the tendency to bring you too much into a fixed form.

Buy color pencils and make every day in a booklet a small drawing of a “simple” object from nature e.g. a leave, a shell, a flower, a branch….. or any other simple object. Start drawing with a black pencil. Colors can make too complicated.

Buy a piece of clay and start working with the size of a big orange (almost fits in your both hands). Any clay color is fine. Use a plant sprayer to wetten the clay once in a while.

Let your hands do the work. They are “wiser” than you. Model inner hollow and outer round movements. Sometimes in the transition from outer to inner round form and edge appears. Is the form rising? Is the form stretching more horizontal? Do rhythms of movements appear? Your hands do the work….YOU watch.

Dear friends, trust that inner artistic work you do (including overcoming your own obstacles) will heal yourself and the Earth. Believe in yourself, and the future will take over from fear. With compassion my presence is with all of you. I send you peace, happiness and light in the process you go through.

Benno Nijhuis

"What can we do to bring a stop to the threatening forces which are working at present moment inside and outside us? We need to reconnect with our spiritual origin. We need to develop awareness of who we really are."

關於Benno Nijhuis

Benno是一位來自荷蘭，經驗豐富的華德福小學教師。他專長藝術教育，在過去10年現時活躍在亞州區教授不同課程。他是香港華德福教師培訓課程的導師之一，也在2019年的人智學課程中擔任藝術導師。