A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols. It can be employed for focusing attention and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. This is why I have started coloring mandala, I often color a new one every 3 days, It has helped me calm my nerves and empty my mind. I am hoping to finish my whole mandala book in the span over the next few months. Additionally, I believe mandala has helped me get better at color coordination as well as helping me become more are of the culture behind mandala.

Challenge & Skills:

Since I have started coloring I believe I have really explored some new color pallets as well as improving my color coordination. I believe in my past works regarding art I commonly used analogous color schemes, but through mandala, I have also been exploring triadic and complementary color schemes. This is why some of the pages have a mix of many colors, however, I still use analogous colors to shade as it can be seen from the blue mandala I did. I think as I go on with my mandala coloring book, I will explore new color pallets and practice mindfulness. On the other hand, the challenges of this activity are that sometimes finding the time and staying committed to finishing one mandala which can be difficult at times. But sticking with it really helps me control my focus so my goal is to get better at focus on given tasks as mandala can be used to train attention.

Global Engagement:

A mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Asian cultures. It often has two interpretations: an external visual representation of the universe or an internal representation that aids one’s soul into meditation. Some mandalas are Buddhist devotional images of an ideal universe and it is believed mandalas were created in service of the Buddhism religion. They originally were made in Tibet, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, and Indonesia and date from the 4th century to the present day. As I was coloring my mandala book I at times got inspired by pictures of traditional mandala pictures online which led me to learn more about the culture of this art as well as some meanings of the shapes that are incorporated into the drawings (each mandala is dedicated to specific deities). Which I think helped me globally engage in this tradition and appreciate the history behind it.