What does "enough" mean?

Yesterday, reading @yellow-skinned gypsy Ruth 's article on home row reminded me of a theme exploration experience related to "enough". It was an experience in an online expressive art workshop " Monthly Dialogs with Art " that I co-organized.

The theme of that workshop was to explore what we are about enough and how this feeling of enough affects our daily lives. At the beginning we shared different views, and then we explored further with the art of expression.

What is the art of expression? Simply put, it is to understand yourself through artistic creation and inner dialogue.

Remember that the creative direction of the day is:

Find materials where you feel you have enough to create, and

create until you feel enough

From the beginning I wanted to create with old newspapers and magazines, just like I thought of myself as a "minimalist" . But as I wandered the room, I was suddenly drawn to a large wrapping paper. I spread it on the floor and lay on it, feeling the texture of the paper, rough but real. Then I wanted to outline my body on paper. Not all, but some. When the lines cross each other, I have the urge to paint some color on them.

The process of painting on large sheets of paper gave me a sense of freedom. I ignored the "color theory" that I had been taught in visual arts classes and simply enjoyed the freedom to muddle and mix. When I picked up the white pen to highlight the work, the moment came when the work was born. It's soft but bright and gives me a sense of the finished work.

Reflections from a work of art

During the sharing session, we were asked if the work had any message (message), and how it related to "enough" in our daily life.

I heard two clear sentences from my work:

"Don't be afraid to go after what you want. They're right, they're fine."

"Trust your feelings."

When I heard this, I was amazed because it contrasted with my idea of "minimal living". When we further share "enough" in different languages. I suddenly understood. There is a four-character idiom in Chinese, "contentment and happiness," which literally means "if you know you're enough, you'll be happy forever." I didn't like this phrase since I was a kid, because in our culture, "what is enough?" of" is usually a definition given by others. There is a sense of oppression in this definition, and we should not get what is not in the definition.

However, what I have learned from my art making process is that what connects you with your "knowledge" and "foot" is that you are free to choose , based on your desires and needs . When you satisfy this "feeling of enough". You feel content and abundant. And you won't be looking for more. Not the infinite desire to have everything.

When you meet your needs in the moment, that's enough, that's love, that's being in the moment.

And discovering the need at the moment comes from the sensory feelings of your own body, not what others tell you, not what your mind thinks you should want, nor is it given to you by artificial intelligence and algorithm feeds.

Thanks for reading this far. Please share with me what your "enough" is and how it reflects in your life.