An inquiry is a quest into the unknown. As we explore what we do not know we bring something into conscious awareness. An inquiry begins into the present moment as a portal, a doorway into something that has not emerged yet.
The real purpose of an inquiry is not to get an answer but the exploration itself. Can you live the question without rushing into the answer? Can you notice the expansion of your senses into your present experience: sensations in the body, emotions, thoughts, mental state, seeing and hearing? As you practice inquiry does your “focus” change over time?
The inquiry becomes, with practice, the catalyst for a deeper awareness which is the answer to the inquiry.
Artists constantly practice the art of inquiry allowing the imaginative intellect to create new "knowledge" that is not only new but has the capacity to transform human understanding. Arts (like science) expand our awareness and understanding of the world. As a result, our engagement and relationship with the world, changes by practicing art.
Art, as a form of inquiry, supports us exploring complexity, paradoxes and dynamic challenges. Art engages all of the senses and our sense-making capacities providing an opportunity for renewal and meaning-making.
What if art was a method of pedagogy? Will it challenge habits (and certitude) of teaching and learning?
"Be patient toward all the unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions". Rilke in the Letters to a Young Poet
When we think, act and feel like an artist (or as I call it heARTist), we enter into a deeper dialogue with the world and allow a NEW way of ______ (fill in the blank).
My questions to you (please resist the urge to find an answer) are:
When you think, act and feel like an artist which places can you access?
What questions would you ask if you were the artist of your work and/or life experience?
How your human experience (of work and life) would then change?
Let me know how your practice of inquiry goes.
If you’re interested to learn more about our knowledge and experience and discuss how we could help through our consultancy, workshops, and talks, drop us a line at fateme@rnewb.com.
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