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Danny's Paintings

Control severely inhibits the creative process, whether it be art, design, writing, music, dance, song—even cooking and gardening—because controlling actions restrict freedom of thought, of process, of motion, and ultimately, connection with one’s soul center. When you begin to loosen the reins, the creative process becomes highly enriching, even spiritual for many, as freedom and openness of ideas and process seamlessly gel with knowledge and technique to produce works of beauty and meaning.

I could never really draw as child and had little artistic inclinations even well into my adult years. It thus came as a total surprise—and real joy—that when I started painting in my mid-forties, I was able to tap into a creative part of me that I had no idea existed. I now know the reason was because I had no real artistic expectations and thus was willing to let go of control and enjoy the wondrous, spiritual feelings that arise during creative endeavors.

I particularly enjoy painting seascapes. When I set up my easel at the beach, feel the breeze, and observe the randomness and unpredictability of ocean waves, it’s an easy reminder of how mysterious and uncontrollable life really is. That releases me to paint more freely.

Free Flow
While writing my forthcoming book, The Wave: Nature’s Model for Navigating Life’s Currents, I tried painting abstract pieces for the first time. I suspended judgment and expectations–both controlling mechanisms– and simply enjoyed the process of freely applying paint in different ways and letting what organically unfolded on the canvas guide me. In my first piece, Free Flow, I turned the canvas around vertically and horizontally multiple times to avoid thinking (and judging) too much about how the painting was progressing.   I became so enthralled in the process of what I call “Going with the Wave”, I didn’t realize that the painting was “finished” until I turned the canvas around the final time and “saw” a beautiful (to me) abstract painting. The paintings below cannot be copied, altered, reproduced, or published without the express written consent of Daniel A. Miller. Thank you for respecting these creative rights.