Equuality: Reflections on Life with Horses

Life as Masterpiece

About the Book

When we do not trouble ourselves about whether or not something is a work of art, if we just act in each moment with composure and mindfulness, each minute of our life is a work of art. -Thich Nhat Hanh

There is a propensity in our culture to separate art from the rest of our lives. We tend to put artists and their creations on a pedestal, raising them to an elevated state of being. The problem I see with this is that when we raise another up, we often feel we have to lower ourselves to do so. We say to ourselves, "That person is so wonderful, if only I could ever be as good as they are." Often, without even realizing what we are doing, we convince ourselves that our gifts are not at as valuable.

This problem is compounded by the way that we so clearly delineate what is a work of art and what is not. Maybe a painting, sculpture, or play qualifies, while everything else gets lumped together as "just daily life." Often times, our standards are even narrower: the painting hanging on the museum wall is priceless while the drawings we do while nobody is looking are trash.

I do not think that this is the right way to treat ourselves or our creations. I believe that each life is a work of art, and each person who lives is an artist.

I went to school pursuing a dream of being an artist, and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Fine Art. In my training as a painter and sculptor, I learned a great deal about brush use, color theory, paint mixing, surface preparation, composition, and a mountain of other technical skills. But, I was also blessed to have teachers who understood that the true nature of creating a piece of art has nothing to do with any of those things. They taught me that being an artist means being consciously occupied in a dynamic, creative practice. There are no rules to follow, no guidelines to adhere to, no requirements to fulfill, and no ultimate goals to reach. Art is about showing up and being engaged in the process.

To me, this is the definition of living a good life. As we live, we don't know the rules. We don't know where our path will take us. We come to realize that our goals are only useful as mirages toward which we can move, enjoying the journey along the way. So, as we are engaged fully in the process of living, we are creating the greatest work of art imaginable.

Of course, many of us spend a lot of time spinning our wheels fruitlessly, engaged not with our lives as they are in this moment, but as they were in our regrets and nostalgia, or as they will never be in our plans and fears. This is addressed by every system of belief that we have developed in our history as a species. My grandmother says, "God, guide me as you would have me go." The Buddha said, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today," was a version used by the Cherokee. We can see that this concept is something that our cultural consciousness understands deeply. But how to we understand it personally and bring it to bear in our own lives?

The answer is in a word I used earlier to describe the process of artistic creation: practice. The way to begin softening the tough shells of our mind-habits is to engage in practices that form new neural pathways. This has nothing to do with achieving goals, learning skills, or any other direct-line pursuits. It only has to do with being present in the process.

While we can practice this way of living in any moment, no matter what we are doing, it is often useful to begin our practice doing something that is already outside of our normal lives. Horsemanship provides me with just such a place.

When I am at the barn, I am disengaged from my daily worries and hopes. For me, being with horses provides a sandbox in which to practice safely. I feel free to be in the moment, enjoying experience as it unfolds. As I learn lessons with the horses, I am able to shed my old reactive responses and build new habits. Then, often when I least expect it, I find my new responses arising in other situations in my life. Thus, as we practice with our horses the act of living in the moment, we develop the skills we use to create the masterpieces of our lives.