The Zen of Alchemy: Transforming Anxiety into Art

“This is why alchemy exists. So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold. That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Transformation is tough. Even healthy transformation is difficult work. In fact, healthy transformation can be even more painful than unhealthy transformation. It is scary stretching comfort zones and breaking mental paradigms. It’s uncomfortable thinking outside of traditional and parochial boxes, especially when those boxes are all we’ve ever thought inside of. Creating art is one of the ways we have to smooth the transition of transformation, and art can even make the process an exciting adventure.