Miya Ando: On Creativity

Marianna Phillips, Marianna Phillips

Japanese-Russian-American artist Miya Ando has a solo exhibition forthcoming (November) at Maki Gallery in Tokyo. She has a current solo exhibition at The Asia Society Texas Center titled: Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form on view through August 23, 2020.

 

Marianna

What sources of inspiration do you use to foster creativity in your work?

 

Miya

My mother is very knowledgable about Zen, she is a teacher of Urasenke, a style of Japanese tea ceremony. She inspires me endlessly and we discuss Zengo (Zen words) and philosophical ideas. I’m also inspired by historic Japanese literature and poetry and draw inspiration from these sources as well. I lived on 25 acres of redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, I’m deeply inspired by and have a profound love and respect for nature, the wild and for systems in nature.

My grandfather in Japan was a Buddhist priest and my work is informed by Buddhist thought and principles. Lastly, my dad has a Ph.D. in electrophysics and I’m fascinated by this. My work investigates the notion that "the fundamental nature of reality is that all constituent forms that make up the universe are temporary”, an idea found both in Buddhism as well as quantum physics.

 

Marianna

Do you have a routine for entering into a creative headspace?

 

Miya

I am a very early riser, I wake up before 4 AM daily and meditate and think about the day and my next steps on works from the day before. I like to watch the night turn to day and observe the sky, the colors, clouds, moon from my deck every morning. Once I get to the studio I’m in a prepared state to begin the day’s works.

 

Marianna

Do you have habits you've built for yourself to foster creativity?

 

Miya

I meditate and keep basically the exact schedule 7 days a week and have done so for 17 years. I’m in the studio every day.

 

Marianna

Where do you think ideas come from?

 

Miya

Introspection.

 

Marianna

What does creativity mean to you?

 

Miya

Synthesizing your thoughts and executing them.

 

Marianna

When do your best ideas hit you?

 

Miya

When I’m calm.

 

Marianna

How would you describe your creative process?

 

Miya

Artwork is thinking. I endeavor to stay on a focused train of thought from one piece to the next, each completed work begets the next work. It’s a continuum of thought and the works are a residue of that thinking process.

 

Marianna

So many creatives are pivoting and finding ways to adjust their creative process during the quarantine. How have you been channeling your creativity during this time?

 

 

Miya

I’ve not changed my practice. I live close to my studio so I’ve been continually going to the studio. My assistants are home since we’re still on lockdown and it is unsafe, so things are much slower and quieter and I have been enjoying this. It’s not new, but I’ve reaffirmed the notion that I cherish being alone in my studio.

 

Marianna

Art and creativity reflect the current culture. Discover anything new or have you been channeling your creativity in new ways?

 

Miya

I was unable to acquire most of the materials I usually use: wood, metal, glass during COVID. I had indigo and linen in my studio and so I’ve been working with those materials. I’m doing a series of a moon drawing each day during the lockdown, it is a recording of this time. I spent time in Japan as a child in my grandparents’ Buddhist temple. Indigo was ubiquitous, so many things are dyed indigo out in the country and this color gave me solace and comforted me, it brought me back to when I was a child and I felt safe and things were simple and peaceful and I was with my family.

 

I wanted to surround myself in a cocoon of indigo during COVID and so one room in my studio is converted into a dyeing room with an indigo vat and canvases and drawings everywhere. 

 

Miya Ando, Moon Meditation Hut, 2020. Indigo, linen, micronized pure silver, phosporescence

 

Miya Ando, Izayoi (Hesitating Moon, Waning Gibbous) April 9 2020 Day 24 Lockdown (Latitude 70.460131, Longitude - 73.980127), 2020. Indigo, miconized pure silver, kozo paper.

 

Marianna

What unexpected turns did your life take to lead you to become who you are today?

 

Miya

One unexpected event was that I donated artwork to The San Francisco Zen Center benefit auction in the early 2000s and an art dealer discovered my work there and took me on as an artist, it allowed me to move to New York.

 

Marianna

What creative projects are you most proud of?

 

Miya

I sewed a number of mandalas created with Bodhi (Ficus Religiosa, the species of tree under which The Buddha gained enlightenment) leaves and sold them and donated 100% of the proceeds to The Tibetan Nun’s Project (an organization of exiled Buddhist nuns). We raised enough money to house, clothe, feed, education, and provide all necessary funds for 27 nuns for an entire year. This is the project I feel most grateful for and most privileged to have put forth.

 

Marianna

How do you make sense of chaos in your life?

 

Miya

Harmony and equanimity are things I cherish and I make efforts to create a life of calm. Chaos is a state of mind that is avoidable, in my opinion.

 

Marianna

What advice would you offer those struggling with creative blocks?

 

Miya

Try to something every day, even if it’s thinking about the work. Draw or write or read, do something to actively engage your practice daily, and cultivate discipline.

 

 

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