This week we reach the 52nd zen Monday, meaning we have a full year of weekly zen painting posts since this journey started. It is also the week marking the final Photo Challenge from the WordPress community. From now on, I will have to find my weekly random source of zen inspiration elsewhere. Fear not, I am (almost) never out of creative inspiration.
As the final prompt is dedicated to “all-time-favorites” I figured it would be ok to deviate from the standard format. This is an occasion to thank everyone following this feature over the last year for returning time and again. I decided to highlight your contribution by showcasing the five posts that everyone most enjoyed, and at the end share a glimpse into a new zen sketchbook I recently completed.
If you liked these posts previously, I hope you will enjoy re-visiting them. If you’re new to the site, this is your chance to have a quick glimpse at what #zenmondays are all about.
Your all-time-favorites from #5 to #1 (the most liked of all) with a link to the original post and the inspiring photo:
#5 Taking a step back from the subject you often find a more surprising view.
A puffin swarm, Iceland, 2016
#4 In making a real effort to find your purpose rests a higher chance your delta will find you.
Sunrise over Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, 2015
#3 Variations further your learning, though not all are equally appetizing.
A circle of grilled fish, Shikoku, Japan, 2014
#2 To be as serene as the glow of a landscape freshly covered in snow.
Snow covered tree branch, Zurich, 2014
#1 Sharing a teacup with a friend in every season is one way to celebrate transience.
A teacup and Japanese sweets, Kanazawa, Japan, 2014
It is fitting that this is the most liked post of all. First, because this post features an evocative picture from a favorite garden in Japan, accompanied by a simple Japanese tea bowl – chawan – sketch. Most importantly, because it encompasses what putting together zen Mondays every week feels like. It is very much like sitting around a table with a friend and sharing a snapshot from a special moment.
A very special moment I would like to share today is the recent completion of my first zen travel sketchbook, for New Zealand. This particular sketch is one of my favorites from the book, inspired by the landscapes of Fjordland and an encounter with a curious kea. I hope you enjoy this recent “all-time-favorite”. See you again next week.
A kea arranging its feathers, New Zealand, 2018
From Orepuki Beach to Milford Sound (brush pen drawing), kea, ケア, 2018
Thank you for reading another zen Monday. ありがとうございました。
Every Monday is zen Monday, a weekly dose of zen in Japanese ink painting format, coupled with one Japanese word.