Stay Contemplative — Sacred Grove by Greg Olson

A quiet, still place invites contemplation and thought. Sacred Grove, limited edition print by Greg Olsen

When is the last time you were contemplative?

Being contemplative takes time and a bit of effort, because we must find a quiet place where we can think. This means no TV, no phone, no computer screen, none of the accoutrements of  technology that factor so strongly in “modern” life. Too often, we focus on acquiring knowledge — facts, “news,” up to date reporting on trends, politics, and snippets of science — but without contemplation, we are unable to process these facts, sort them out, determine what is true and what is false.

We become human encyclopedias of stuff. Our brains are attics filled with everything from priceless paintings to broken tennis rackets. Without time to be contemplative, however, we’re unable to distinguish between the valuable and the mundane, the functional and the broken.

We need to get away from the noise and the chatter, the constant tugging on our sleeve by mass media to “Listen to this!” and “Be alarmed about that!”

Greg Olsen’s art print, Sacred Grove, takes us to such a contemplative place. It is quiet here, and very still. In this calm, hushed forest, we can think.

“But I don’t have a forest like this near where I live!” a voice objects.

That’s okay — that’s why artists create images of beauty, to invite people to step into them and be there. Look at the image. Step onto the path. Imprint it upon your mind.

Get Away to a Peaceful Place

There are always places to be contemplative — many people choose the bathroom because it generally has a lock on the door. There’s the porch. A park bench. Even the sofa on a Sunday afternoon. The important thing is to not invite the phone in on the conversation, or the TV, or the talk show, podcast, radio broadcast, newscaster, politician, medico, financier, philanthropist, Instagram celebrity, pop singer — it’s a pretty long list, isn’t it?

Indeed, the sheer quantity of mass media temptation that draws us away from being contemplative is . . . something to contemplate.

Stay Contemplative — It’s an Antidote to Fear

The featured image to this article is Sacred Grove by Greg Olsen. You may purchase the print online at this link. We would be absolutely delighted to frame the work for you, working online and by phone — something we have been doing successfully for many years with out out-of-town clients. Email us at Wenaha.com to start the conversation.

More works by Greg Olsen are at this link.

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