This too shall pass! This sentiment seems to hold true in most situations and feels to collectively resonate with the current state that we all find ourselves in during COVID-19. The essence of this wisdom has been expressed in many different ways throughout history and across cultures; but today, you’ll hear how my next guest, Daniel Dugan, has deeply learned these lessons through the creation of his art. Daniel’s art is a meditative expression of “one continuous line” that never breaks, never crosses, and, for him, represents the flow of life. In this episode, we’ll hear how this line, (which Daniel has been drawing since he was 10 years old), has taught him that everything in life has a beginning and an end; that there will always be unexpected events and emotions that follow; that we cannot control our path; but rather surrender to it— to trust that everything in life is happening for our greatest good. Daniel’s art has been featured in “LA Times” and “LA Weekly,” and he has made commissions for collectors in China, Singapore, Mexico, and coast-to-coast in the US. Daniel is committed to making art for social impact, and has made works for The Bombay Beach Biennale, Phase One Foundation for cancer research, and First Responders First.
Daniel is a deep loving soul that helps remind us to follow our hearts and to trust the journey, no matter which direction it goes. I believe these lessons that Daniel downloaded through his art are timely and can be applied to all of our lives. Daniel’s constant curiosity for finding new, creative ways to push boundaries inspires me, and a great reminder to push my own. Check out this episode to find out more.
Click left and right to scroll through the pieces and experience the line <3
1) Buddha (Ksitigarbha) 2) Yes Infinity Lightbox 3)Diane von Furstenberg (Based on Francesco Scavullo's 1969 photo) 4) Wooden Skull 5) Stevie Wonder 6) Golden Road 7)Read My Mind
8)It Takes All Kinds (made in Cuba with kids)
Show Notes:
(3:30) Daniel explains how his art has been inspired by a line that he’s been creating since he was 10 years old; he would try to fill a page with one continuous line without crossing or breaking
(5:00) For Daniel, the line is an ongoing experiment to see it in different expressions (acrylic, oil, water color, LED, moss, wood, etc)
(5:20) Daniel shares what he has learned from creating the “line”—that everything has a beginning and an ending, and that’s the only thing we actually know
(6:50) Daniel describes how the line reminds him of surprises in life, including the current viral pandemic; he explains how we don’t have to like what’s going on, but we can learn from it
(8:10) “We get to have this moment, it’s not happening to us, it’s happening for us” -Daniel Dugan
(8:30) Garrett shares how he has been listening to a verse from the “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu (from Wayne Dyer’s “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life”, and how the day they spoke it was a verse about “A Life of Constancy”, the ending of one thing is the beginning of a next thing
(10:00) Daniel tells the story of his transition to considering himself an artist, and how he saw similarities to his art on the coral reef while snorkeling in Honduras in 2015
(12:00) He learned that coral grows these patterns in a natural way called “reaction diffusion”
(13:30) After this trip, Daniel got a studio in Hollywood, and considered himself a full time artist
(16:15) Daniel shares how his natural curiosity of where his art and his line can go is what keeps him going - it’s his passion
(18:30) Garrett relates to the word “curiosity” and how it has come up recently in different scenarios, such as considering curiosity around emotional triggers
(20:45) Daniel explains how he has been conditioning himself through the “not knowing” that it has been helping him through these current times and others
(21:15) Garrett acknowledges the word that Daniel chose of “wonder”, and shares the idea that we get to decide our lens and if we chose “wonder” or “worry”
(22:45) Daniel tells the story of how the the inspiration and creation of one of his most meaningful pieces came about (“The Buddah”), and how the piece began by telling someone that he liked their jacket
(23:00) The book Daniel talks about is “When Things Fall Apart” (Pema Chodron)
(24:45) This lead to Daniel doing a commission of Diane von Furstenburg, the famous designer, and meeting with her in New York
(25:25) He later went to Shangai for Art Week, he ran into an acquaintance of the gentlemen with the jacket, went to dinner with her, and she requested to have him create the Buddah (Ksitigarbha)
(27:30) Daniel shares the story about how he was listening to a mantra of Ksitigarbha while he was creating the piece so he could do his best to fully embody his essence
(29:45) Because of Daniel’s piece, he has learned more and more about Ksitigarbha; it has brought up learning and teachings that he wouldn’t have received otherwise
(31:45) Daniel explains how he was experimenting and wanted to see how the line would look in letters, which eventually became his “YES” piece, and how it means to remember that in life: YES this is happening, YES this is life in this moment right now, YES these emotions are real and valuable (acceptance + surrender)
(34:00) Daniel shares how the lessons of his work often arrive after he creates them, once people ask him why he made it
(36:00) Daniel shares how his first commission showed him that he could really make a living being a artist
(40:30) During quarantine, Daniel has continued to experiment with the line and he tells the story about doing his first piece on a lawn with a mower, and ended up creating a life-size labyrinth
(41:00) Daniel explains the difference between a maze and a labyrinth- in both there is a beginning and an ending, but with a labyrinth you cannot get lost
(42:00) Garrett shares a lesson he learned from Mike Dooley about an analogy of manifesting things in your life and a car GPS system. When you go somewhere you’ve never gone or when you manifest something you’ve never had, you need to set your intention, trust the process, and know that you’re going to get there. With a GPS system you put in the location of the place you want to go and you don’t question the directions, you just trust.
(44:00) Daniel’s three truths:
1) Be kind to people (especially people you don’t know)
2) The constant exploration of art and pursuit of being okay with not knowing
3) This will all end and turn into something else (relax on your path)
(46:10) IG: @danielduganart / www.danielduganart.com
Photos by Daniella Midenge.
