Confessions of an Artist: Brandon Locher

Brandon Locher is a multimedia artist and music producer who at present lives and works in New York, NY. Since 2006, he’s had greater than 60 releases below numerous names and creative media, together with audio recordings, visible artwork, multimedia artwork, and sound artwork. He’s been working towards the Transcendental Meditation approach for the previous two years. Right here’s what we discovered about his artistic work and the way his TM observe enriches his life.

What are your passions? What does a typical day in your week appear like?

One among my largest passions in life is just course of. I’m typically reminded of a passage from “Confessions of a Mountain Climber” by the artist Agnes Denes. “I’m a mountain climber, and there’s no means out however up. Not for the height–I’ve lengthy since understood about that–however for the mountain. You create the mountain, and you then climb it. Not for the ultimate peak; the problem is the method and the journey, and the unattainable solutions are the lure.”

This assertion has all the time resonated with me as a result of I really feel course of is totally important to all the pieces in life. I’ve found I benefit from the fruitful outcomes extra profoundly after I take time having fun with the method and journey to completion. Course of is in regards to the right here and now and waking as much as this very second.

I’ve been enjoying piano, studying books, and watching movies for leisure these days. Usually, I’m engaged on music or paintings in my studio for not less than 6-8 hours a day. I’ve discovered it very useful and useful to construction my day however to permit tons of selection inside all the completely different parts. Day-to-day I’ll be making radically completely different music, consuming completely different meals, and experiencing inspiration and sweetness in unknown locations.

Do you see your self as any person who took a leap of religion to reside a extra artistic life or do you suppose it sort of simply occurred?

Fortunately, it simply occurred

I’ve all the time been excited about self-education, mainly gaining extra data that may be recycled again into my artistic practices and day-to-day life. Creativity, intelligence, and bliss are important parts to reside a fulfilled life, and I really feel it’s my pure being to evolve in the direction of a extra artistic life.

Studying Maharishi’s phrases, “Enlargement of happiness is the aim of life, and evolution is the method by which it’s fulfilled,” made me perceive why my thoughts all the time appeared naturally interested in gaining data and finally reaching my full potential. It’s linked with the legal guidelines of nature. Creativity, to me, is pure achievement and happiness. My tremendous feeling lies within the act of being – bringing collectively values of absolutely the into relative existence with my expressions of music and artwork.

Are you able to converse extra about your drawing observe and its connection to transcendence?

I’ve all the time considered artwork as a collection of issues that have to be solved, and I’m typically drawing myself clear options solely to create a brand new drawback for a future work. Since I began working towards Transcendental Meditation, I’ve observed the circulate and feeling I skilled my complete life whereas drawing is similar to the best way I really feel after I transcend to extra refined elements of our thoughts and finally attain the supply of pure artistic intelligence.

I’ve just lately discovered it useful to attract instantly after my morning meditation as a result of I really feel extraordinarily settled and at peace. Many artists consider that struggling, despair, or negativity assist give them a artistic edge. Once I was in my 20s, I additionally believed that you just wanted to carry on to that anger and struggling to finally be artistic. I’m grateful I’ve lastly found that in my case, struggling isn’t essential to reside a lifetime of creativity and happiness, and, subsequently, the act of creation is all the time a reduction from any struggling or sorrow in my very own life.

My drawings are created out of an appreciation, admiration, and love for the pure atmosphere and universe. I tremendously get pleasure from interested by macrocosm and microcosm and seeing the identical patterns reproduced in all ranges of the cosmos, from the biggest all the best way all the way down to the smallest scale. I consider, on this system, the midpoint is Man, who helps summarize the thriller of the cosmos. Drawing helps me set up peace and concord inside myself and finally with my environment and atmosphere, too.

How does your atmosphere play into your life?

I really feel a really sturdy sensitivity to my atmosphere, and I’m all the time making an attempt to assist elevate my very own environment. I’m a complete homebody and really feel fully content material staying at dwelling. Due to this fact, I need to create an atmosphere and environment that assist service and assist my artistic intentions and wishes.

Listening to Maharishi say, “The universe influences the person and the person influences the universe,” helps me perceive why I’ve all the time felt a connection to the atmosphere at massive. I’m one to ritualize not solely my home life but additionally my artistic practices as nicely, and sometimes these are one and the identical to me. My studio has all the time been in my dwelling, and, in a way, I’m creating paintings and music for my dwelling. I’m repeatedly cultivating my house so it’s inspiring and always feels contemporary. It may be so simple as having contemporary lower flowers that assist elevate my basic consciousness. I like to curate my house as a ritual for creating, and creating can also be part of that very same ritual.

Each you and your sister are artists. Was artwork and creativity a giant a part of your childhood?

My sister, Olivia Locher, is a superb photographer recognized for her sarcastic method to studio pictures. Throughout our childhood, our dad and mom inspired us to daydream and to by no means flip away from our desires. I’ll be turning 37 in a number of months, and I really feel like I’m removed from being a “grown-up” as a result of my life continues to be centered round creativeness because it was in my childhood and adolescence, finally, due to my dad and mom permitting us each the liberty to discover and develop with out too many pressures or constraints throughout childhood.

What are your three favourite “instruments” for a wholesome and comfortable life?

The quick tempo of life doesn’t permit an actual second of silence. Due to this fact, I’ve discovered the Transcendental Meditation approach to be the best option to pause and reset myself. Studying books supplies me a lot data and inspiration. Essentially the most grounding factor is consuming nicely. I’ve been a vegetarian since 2000, and for a few years I mainly ate “vegetarian junk meals.” It now feels applicable to eat all natural and wholesome, home-cooked meals. I additionally actually get pleasure from rising and juicing wheatgrass; it’s an effective way to begin the day!

How lengthy have you ever been working towards the Transcendental Meditation approach, and what impressed you to be taught?

I’ve been working towards Transcendental Meditation for 2 years, though I’ve been surprisingly excited about Transcendental Meditation since 2011, after I learn Catching the Massive Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch. I all the time knew about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from The Beatles and different pop-culture data, however after I learn David Lynch’s guide, I believed to myself, “Wow! Now this appears like one thing for me!”

Quick ahead 9 years, and I spoke with Bob Roth, who casually talked about how simple it was to enroll and be taught the Transcendental Meditation approach. The following day I attended a fast introduction and began meditating that very same weekend!

My sister has been working towards TM since 2012, and the optimistic results her meditation observe has performed on all facets of her life are inspiring and vibrantly current, and seeing these outcomes immediately was a giant affect for me to lastly be taught as nicely.

What was your notion of meditation generally earlier than you discovered TM? Did that notion change after your first few experiences meditating?

Previous to studying Transcendental Meditation, my notion of meditation was that it concerned some sort of mental play. I believed meditation was mentally difficult or a barely troublesome job for the thoughts, however this was fully improper considering as a result of I rapidly found that Transcendental Meditation is an harmless, easy, and really simple approach.

You possibly can be taught extra about Brandon and his physique of artistic work at www.brandon-locher.com or comply with him on Instagram.

To be taught extra in regards to the TM approach, you possibly can join along with your native TM instructor right here.