October 12

Small Surprises 

Online Documentation of Year Long Mindfulness Practice

Part of The Art of Enough Series

Small Surprises began when I was given this guidance: “I think you should seek to have pleasurable moments during ordinary experiences”. This is essentially the concept of mindfulness, which has become part of popular culture over the last few years. So I designed a mindfulness practice where I pick a different sense — seeing, hearing, touch, taste, and smell — and try to focus on experiencing the world primarily through that sense on any given day. For example, on touch day, when I am not immersed in some activity, I just touch things or allow things to touch me — sitting at a restaurant and exploring under the table with my fingertips, putting my hand into the sand at the beach or feeling the wind against my face.  This mindfulness practice has led to one of my current creative processes: look for small surprises every day.  Don’t look for big, intense, climb-the-highest-mountain experiences — just look for small surprises, small moments, small joys.

Note: The Art of Enough is accompanied by a 5-part podcast series that details the creative and psychological process I explored during this 2 year project.   The podcasts feature interviews with: playwright, author and meditator Jean-Claude Van Itallie, psychologist and author Dr. John Arden,  voice coach Jean McClelland and therapist and educator Bob Szita.   The podcasts and the art series catalog can be found on this page. 

Information on how anyone can start their own Small Surprises Mindfulness Activity can be found at this website and this Facebook Group.