Mandalas can be a meditative practice for people like my friend Deb. Her mandalas are some of the best I’ve seen. I’ve even seen her take notes at a meeting that end up in the form of a mandala.
Me? I’m more of a doodler. It’s a conscious effort to put my doodles into mandala. Last year I made an accordion book out of a manila folder and filled it with mandalas.
Well, mostly mandalas. Several other compositions presented themselves.
I try to remember Deb’s advice when starting a mandala, “Start with a dot or circle, and build out from there.” She offers a wonderful array of prompts to build a mandala.
I try to ignore my internal critic who shouts about making a perfect, symmetrically round mandala. I listen to her, acknowledge the interruption, and return my focus to making marks. The marks somehow always end up in a shape that is definitely a circle, and the imperfections become lovely quirks to the overall image.
My manila folder accordion book mandalas were made using Gelly Roll pens and Sharpie markers. I’ve also used regular ink pens that move smoothly across the paper because sometimes you gotta use what’s available when the urge strikes!
Making mandalas, whether for a contemplative or artistic practice, is a practice worth starting. Start small. Start on a scrap piece of paper – it’s practice, after all!
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