24-264 Structure

The Mandala Lady, , , , , , , , , , ,
MotD 24-264 Structure — After. part of an unfinished watercolor and pastel painting with colors of blue, green, yellow, purple, and pink. on top in white ink is a large circle with an abstract mirrored image in the center, which includes two spirals. around the outside is a row of lotus-shaped petals with spirals in each. on top of each is a small circle with a dot inside. between the petals is diamond-shaped pattern with a dot in the center and a small spiral coming out of the top.

Structure

“to plan, organize, or arrange the parts of something”

Without some form of structure there’s a potential for chaos. For instance, water would spread all over the place without a structure to contain it. Can you imagine the insanity of driving around without street signs and signals? (We experienced a bit of that while visiting Cairo…thankfully a local was driving or we’d still be trying to find our way out of there.) And for us individually…how would we get around in our bodies without our skeletal system…we’d be moving around like blobs…although some mornings that’s exactly how I move around.

Our challenge becomes determining how much structure is beneficial before it becomes a hindrance. The arts are a great example of balancing structure and creativity. For instance playing the piano; anyone could sit down and just start banging away on the keys all over the place (which may be okay if you’re wanting to play an expressive, freeform piece) but this approach tends to lend itself to a more cacophonous outcome than something pleasing.

However by learning the fundamentals of music, chord structures, scales, and the like, along with practicing regularly (structured schedule?), we develop an understanding of how music can be played on the piano…and THEN we have the luxury of breaking the rules and creating a more potent piece of music. Because we know the structure of it, we know how to take it apart and put it back together again in such a way that transcends the player and the listener.

Same with writing or painting or sculpting and so on. The “structures” are about learning the fundamentals of the art form. Once we understand these structures we can be more creative, more expressive, and play with stretching or altering the boundaries to see where it leads.

Essentially, structure gives us the potential to provide greater opportunities for creative expression.

How about you? Is structure a core value for you?

BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with …

MotD 24-264 Structure — Before. part of an unfinished watercolor and pastel painting with colors of blue, green, yellow, purple, and pink.

joyfully,

Maureen
The Mandala Lady

🌟 bringing sanity to an insane world through the art of mandalas

About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day

Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.

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Published by The Mandala Lady

My Mission: connecting with our Inner Light in delightful, inspiring ways For me, creating mandalas is more than just coloring pretty patterns in a circle. I do it because my spiritual evolution and creativity require it of me. My mandala designs come about within an active meditative state, connected with my higher self, my spiritual guides and nature spirits. Together, we bring into form, mandala art the allows me to re-connect with my own inner peace and joy, letting me explore and expand my own creative spirit to however far and in whatever direction I want to take it. As part of my own spiritual journey, I encourage, and hopefully inspire, others to explore their own creativity, to help them re-connect with their own inner peace and joy. As a means to that end, I make all of my mandalas available for people to color. Why should I have all the fun?

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