芸道 • Geidō: The Way Of Art

Japanese art to master any [art] skill

芸 [gei]

art, craft, accomplishment, artistic skill, technique, performance

道 [dō]

road-way, street, district, journey, course, moral, teachings

[ 芸道 ] Geidō: The Way of The Art

Roughly around 700 years ago, through the Kamakura period in Japan, appeared a thoughtful system through which anyone can become a master of any art.

That system is known as [ 芸道 ] Geidō: The Way of The Art.

Whether it is for calligraphy, painting, martial arts or even for a tea ceremony, Geidō proved its efficiency and reliability amongst artists of that time. And still up to this day, we can observe its relevance in many modern fields.

You can use that method to master the skill you cherish!

Geidō: 3 phases to reach mastery

Generally, the method is a lifelong process that allows you to discover many aspect of the art field you want to dive into.

The Geidō methodology requires 3 phases in order to reach mastery.

Here are the phases you have to go through:

1. The Mental Commitment

Nothing great was achieved quickly.

If you are in a rush to show off and not willing to free your time to devote yourself to the art, you will never become a master!

So what’s coming first, is the mental commitment to the art.

Because, starting from scratch, up to a solid level of mastery can take you several months to several years of sweat and tears.

Before going in the Geidō journey, you must update your mindset to be set up for consistency and focus.

So buckle up! Free up your time and grind !! 🔥

2. Mimick

Secondly, in order to get a good grasp of the basics and evolve to higher skillset levels, as a student you must surrender your time to mimick existing masters of that art form.

There’s a modern and notorious book named “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon dedicated to that Geidō phase. I read it. I liked it. And for any beginning artist, I definitely recommend it!

The author explains how and why it is almost mandatory to copy your favorite artists in order to build and enhance your current skills.

At this stage, you will learn how to see the world as the master does in what is called a heart-to-heart transmission.

3. Express yourself

Finally, the third stage of Geidō.

You stepped out from your master’s shadow and now you can do or create whatever you choose to.

All the basics are now part of your body, your soul and your whole existence.

At that stage, you can rightfully use the iconic Chirrut Îmwe’s mantra “I am one with the Force. The Force is one with me“ 😤🔥

You can even call it your final form!

It is when you, as an artist, are able to express yourself!

That stage is where you enjoy the mastery of your art skills by entering a flow state filled with [ 無心 ] mushin & [ 幽玄 ] yūgen.

What are those?

[ 無心 ] Mushin • “no mind” or “mindlessness”

Japanese Zen and martial arts concept describing a mental state of empty, fluid awareness, free from fear, ego, or hesitation.

It is a state of “flow”

where action is instinctive, spontaneous, and unburdened by conscious, judgmental thought,

allowing for peak performance under pressure.

— Sounds like ultra instinct to me though ! 👀

[ 幽玄 ] Yūgen • “mysterious profundity”

means the beauty that we can feel sense into an object, even though the beauty doesn’t exist in the literal sense of the word and cannot be seen directly.

Good example of this Geidō phase, is the evolution of Picasso’s painting style throughout his life. He’s more known for his last phase than for his early stages even though they are all very good.

Another one, in music, would be the amazing freestyling skills you can witness during some jazz sessions or even like @ariathome who can easily improvise making a beat on the spot that turns out to be awesome!

Geidō: Find Yourself. Find Your Art Style

“In these moments of expression, it’s said that the artists will discover an element of themselves in the movement of a dance, the writing of a word, the melody of a song, or the stroke of a brush. The artists will find something about themselves that was always there but latent.”

— source: philosophyminis

It seems to be a human thing

I can’t help but think about the 3 Main Eras of Ancient Greek Sculpture.

Greece is obviously in Europe and Japan is located in Far East Asia.

But even if the period and the geography largely separated them, the artistic evolution are very similar. If you observe closely, you can see 3 parts that go from beginner to mastery and self-expression.

image displaying the comparison of Ancient Greek column styles: Doric Ionic & Corinthian image from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/column-architecture — Comparison of Ancient Greek column styles: Doric Ionic & Corinthian

In my opinion, it seems to be a human thing. Worldwide.

I would even say that Art is the human expression trying to translate the Universe that is around them.

Each region of Earth has its own way of seeing and understanding things and life in general, and Art is a common language that unites all human beings.

That’s why if you speak to any committed artist in any field, they will often talk about an experience a bit like Geidō. They may call it “inspiration” or “a muse” or “the spirit of art itself”, etc..

But in the majority of cases dedicated artists systematically end up finding themselves through this way of expression.

Ready to Level Up Your Animation Skills?

Are you ready to level up your animation skills now?

If you think you are ready to enter to your Geidō journey, buckle up and subscribe to the newsletter waiting list to get the free PDF guide about the Principles of Animation that’s coming soon!

•• AM² ••

— Animation with simple words.

#animangamagic #Geidō #japaneseart

#learnart #mushin #yuugen

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