"Zen as a vehicle to enhance creativity" is a book on art, Zen Buddhism and Creativity. It has an interdisciplinary character combining Zen-inspired works of art and text. The artistic component includes works of art by 67 Israeli artists including the author.
Contrary to conventional books-the author does not write about the artists, rather, the artists are the ones who write about themselves and their works. The reader can look at the work of art and simultaneously read what the artists themselves think about life, art and the process of creativity. The reader is thus introduced to art directly, without having to go through the art historian or the critic. This direct introduction to art is a unique experience, for everyone of us sees life and conceives of art differently, and consequently our interpretations are tinted by personal idiosyncrasies.
The author's approach to Art is influenced by her perception of the Zen Mind experience of life--trying to capture life as it is, skipping the tinting of the personal Ego. In some cases the author included her own prose or poetry.
The writing differs from the conventional art historian's approach for it is not meant to interpret, to clarify or to present. Instead, it is another piece of art inspired and stimulated by the specific works of art dealt herewith. The book reflects a personal experience rather than a description of art. Art is comprehended in a wholistic fashion--pictures or sculptures and words form one integral and inseparable unit.
Historically, books of art were written by art historians, or by artists who wrote about their own art persuasions. Art historians intervene between the artist and the reader, while books authored by artists do not present the pictorial aspect and thus, remain sterile from the pictorial point of view.
This book takes a different approach. It encompasses pictorial aspects, artists' experiences and the author's experience--as a single all encompassing art experience. It is possible that this approach was facilitated by the author's simultaneously playing the role of the historian, the poet and the artist. This approach is consistent throughout the book.
