About
I am an artist-in-recovery, and a writer. I have pursued many subjects and interests in life—from JAVA programming to fashion illustration—following the lead of a wild-eyed curiosity. I want to know the secret of everything. In some ways, I now know how to.
In 2010, I decided to string together the various beads and gems that I have collected over the years. I started a one-year Sabbatical that is in progress as these words are written. During this Sabbatical, I have embarked upon an inner journey, a self-exploration and examination. What I find is this: our inner troves of treasure are many and fascinating! And the paths that we take to explore these treasures are treacherous, beguiling, and, fundamentally, challenging. They reward the one who forges ahead, and trip the one who loses the compass or the course.
As you might gather, I love metaphors. Part of my current curiosity is an exploration of the realm of metaphors—what are they? How they form? How they influence? How they heal? And who ultimately originates them?
It is at the convergence of words, stories, metaphors, histories, and testimonies that my creative interest currently lies. Other than this, I have no standing, solid definition of who I am.
My published writing in print, so far, concern the matters of governance, society, business, ethics, citizenship, creativity and other such universal themes. Out of sight, however, I have been a poet, a playwright, and a writer of fiction. Rediscovering this side is what my drift of the moment is. I look forward to publishing poetry and stories. My intent is to put the content, its source and flow first, and the genre later.
Aside from that, I am rediscovering my way back to art—acting and voice performances in particular. It is a path that I had diverged from, especially since 2005. With the help of The Artist’s Way, a course in creative self-recovery, I am coming to terms with the fact that this may be exactly what pulls the strings of my heart.
For those who know me by any previous reputation, I am no longer other than what I am now.
Finally, it may be appropriate to share, if only as a disclosure, that I have been following what I would loosely call the Sufi path. Loosely, because I rather follow a path that is uniquely my own than to subscribe to any one school. I have benefited from several schools—the Darqawi-Shadhiliya being the most significant of them. My own view is that Allah teaches however Hu wills. I am also greatly inspired by the teachings of Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching. They’ve helped me crack the code of Submission.
I take the view that all spiritual discovery is about recovering one’s own unique place and perspective in the history of the world—of witnessing one’s unique story. I am therefore interested in first-hand experience, and not second- or third-hand knowledge. If there were no need for my experience, there was no cosmic need for me.
It is possible that a great deal of my writing and even story-telling and art is influenced by this way of perceiving the world. If I have any integrity, then this is as it should be.