The Scientist And The Artist

The first question you might ask yourself on your practice is the obvious one — Does my practice make me better? That is a good question to ask, but more importantly — what are you getting better for? And why?

The real purpose of my practice is to cultivate of two opposing mindsets — the scientist and the artist.

The scientist is the one who craves knowledge, the one that looks for empirical evidence. He is in a constant process that aims to clarify and dissolve any confusion.

In this mindset, I will develop new drills, improve the methods I am using, look for clues that will shorten processes and will bring better results. I will collect data, I will investigate. I will be skeptical and look for concrete logical explanations.

The artist, on the other hand, is a totally different animal — he flourishes in the abstraction, in the zone where logic dissolves and magic appears. His search is for rich experiences, new ways of expression, authentic relations. Here is where I find my curiosity for the present moment, for aimlessly spending time in movement with other people, for jamming. With such qualities one can enter the flow.

The scientist without the artist is incomplete. It is as if when cooking you think only on the nutritional value of your meal, ignoring the taste. Working like this will make you harder, will isolate you from feeling.

When the artist is left alone, one might be trapped in an illusion, disconnect from reality which will also not lead to evolution. Both are important aspects of human development, opposing one another yet completing each other.

And this is the underlying question that you should ask about your practice — which mindset are you cultivating through your practice.