Dear Friend,
How are you doing? I feel like we've been keeping in touch all this time, but when I look at the calendar, it has been two months since I last wrote.
I didn’t write much lately, but I feel those past weeks have been a significant transformative period of my life.
I went on a meditation retreat in April, and when I returned, I dived into my most ambitious creative project: presenting a calligraphy exhibition.
Zen arts and calligraphy
I presented Japanese calligraphies in a summer house owned by a cultural association for 3 weekends. The most interesting aspect was facilitating people to look at a part of themselves that they had never explored.
The calligraphy exhibition was the background of an immersive experience. In the tatami room and the garden attending the lake, I invited people to calligraphy workshops, tea ceremony demonstrations, introductions to meditation, and day retreats.
I am very grateful for this time and space to share with friends, students, and passing-by visitors.
A self-chosen challenge
I am also very grateful for the growth I have experienced during those events. As an introvert and idealist, I significantly stretched out of my comfort zone.
I, too, had the opportunity to explore parts of myself that I had never seen before.
What is it like to go from daydream ideas to real materialization?
What fueled me with unstoppable energy?
What makes me freak out?
What makes me shut down?
What made me melt?
What made me relaxed?
The Gallery
What is next?
Now I am packing for the June meditation retreat in Germany.
After the retreat, I will be traveling for 5 weeks and I will most probably not write here for a moment.
As I am reflecting on the future of those letters, I notice a few things :
I realized that I am so full of just living life that I don't have much time and interest to spend more time recording it. ( I really don't know how all those digital creators are doing… )
I don't have any truth to preach, I would rather have each person discover their own.
I am going through my peculiar journey, and as much as I wish I could inspire for the better, it is quite difficult to convey and sometimes too personal to be digitally shared.
I can't stop creating. I love the process of creating and I love the interactions it creates with others.
So do not worry my friend, in this form or another, I will keep you updated.
In August/ September, I will focus on illustrating the poems I recently wrote and collecting them in a book. The pre-orders are already open ;).
In Autumn I would like to make a digital version of this exhibition "Questions & No-Question" so that all of you can experience it too.
See you,
Maden
I had the immense chance to visit your exhibition for 2 days. It was so well organized in this place. I was impressed by everything this exhibition could bring to visitors and brought me, visual, emotionnal experiences and reflection on our experience of being alive, our way of being in the world. Particularly the tea ceremony which is an exceptional moment due to the intensity of peace that comes with your welcomely attitude and your gestures.
Thank you from the deep of my heart for everything you have given.
Everything, from visiting the exhibition, sitting zazen, attending the tea ceremony, joining the calligraphy classes during the day retreat, to the qigong sessions, has brought so much peace, energy and presence in my life. Thank you for your dedication and love in everything you do for your community.