The World Needs Peace.

It starts within.

What if I told you that each one of us can change the world?

The 'Australiana: Designing a Nation' exhibition at Bendigo Gallery is truly one of the most remarkable art exhibitions I've had the pleasure of experiencing. From the moment I laid eyes on the large Ken Done painting used to promote the exhibition, I was instantly transported back to a time I hold dear in my memories - the 80s. Being a youth in Australia during that era was an unparalleled privilege that I believe won't be replicated for quite some time. It was a pinnacle period, and I was fully aware of its brilliance. Living in Australia during the 80s meant being safe, free, prosperous, and discovering our national identity while confidently standing on the world stage.

In the realm of existence, my friend, we traverse a tapestry of emotions woven by the hands of divine design. Just as the smile illuminates our essence, so do the tears cascade with their own sacred purpose. In this eternal dance, we need not burden ourselves with excessive emphasis on either one, for they are both expressions of our divine nature.

Del's masterful use of colour and her ability to seamlessly combine drawing and painting on a single canvas resonates deeply with me. It was a revelation that shattered the barriers imposed upon me during my time in art school. The idea of painting and drawing together was discouraged, but Del's approach sets me free.

A guide is the way.

Today, I would like to share with you my thoughts on the merging of the East and the West. It's a topic that has been on my mind for a long time. It has come to me recently through creating my art that the real issue has been the idea of straddling two worlds. How it can be challenging, but it is not impossible to be the merging point. I firmly believe that the merging of Eastern and Western philosophy is a remarkable time in the evolution of the world.

The world is a magnificent place.

I love people. I love humanity.

But the world and humanity is

Misunderstood.

We layer it with coverings of shit.

Bullshit. Crap.

Thoughts, concepts, identities, morals.

The worst of them are the spiritual ones.

From all faiths and backgrounds.

I believe Munch was a mystic caught trying to emerge and express himself through art in a time and society when it was not socially acceptable to go outside the social norm. His works evoke so much recognition of emotion in me, and they are incredibly strong, and masculine, yet also full of creation in a wild and refined way. Munch's works glisten with the silence of the Nordic region, total Spanda, and are mystical in nature. He’s a genius.

One day I remember clearly, I was in the music department in one of the cubicles, practising for 1-3 hours daily as was required. Most kids had started music lessons when they were young and had probably already spent 6 years learning. I had only 2 years under my belt and had caught up due to an incredible dedication to practice. But this particular day I heard talking and laughing in the courtyard below. I looked out the window and there were the art students. Each of them had a large sketchbook and some pastels and had been sent down there to draw the flowers and garden. They were happy and smiling while I was stuck in a little cubicle doing countless scales and arpeggios with a metronome clicking.

The devastation in me was too much. The pain inside was too great. I will never forget that day or that feeling. I felt like the meaning of life for me wasn’t ever to be known and I was destined to do what others wanted. That plus overwhelming personal issues and illness and I shut down. My mystical nature was growing, and I already knew that the life others were thoughtlessly working towards I didn’t want.

I have learnt through life’s journey and trials that we do die on the cross of spirit and matter and the outcome is a deepening of our humanity - not some fairy-tale saintly state.

This is a good time ahead, there is much to gain and uncover from within and without if you are open to the best way forward.

Ballarat is a living museum, an open-air museum. If there was a city that could be labelled Australia's Gotham City, it is Ballarat. Don't take offence Ballarat friends ;-) if there was a Bronx it would be where I'm living now.

I'm so grateful to those who have had to butt their heads up against what must have seemed like an implacable attitude and dogma to a recognisable form in art. When in the company of great abstract art which for me is Rothko, I can feel the same bliss one would have as a whirling dervish.

As the great Lord Chaitanya said, ‘be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return.'

Now the last few weeks I’ve found myself having to go through all that stuff by myself and discovering with the many mystery boxes, that they are more like time capsules and memory bubbles. Once the bubble is burst then I can tell, touch, taste, smell, and hear the past and it has been an intense experience.

It’s time to get real and dirty and move in the way of your ‘word’. We all have one and we all have a road map to our word and it is unique to each and every one of us.

Aside from doubt, I believe that overwhelm is the biggest issue facing highly creative people.