Author: Aidan Hinchey

As finals are approaching I find myself finishing up the first semester of my college experience. Over the weeks spent here, I was exposed to a variety of new topics in my classes regarding Spanish culture, environmental impacts of energy production, classical philosophical problems and arguments, and of course, FYS 158 Nonviolence: Theory and Practice. During these classes, I was challenged to read, analyze texts, respond, collaborate, present, and produce at a high academic level. The stresses that accompanied this workload were handling in a variety of ways, and one method is part of the workload itself which is my personal project of mandala making.

The mandala I made for my fifth and final entry comes at a time where the bulk of the work is done, but the last challenge is still to come with my final exams, presentations, and paper revisions. This mandala was made in a calm and relaxing moment amid focused classes and times of work and study. I expect to continue to draw mandalas in the future after the personal projects have concluded and I would even entertain the idea of a mandala-themed tattoo. I am also glad for the personal project I have taken because it forced me to think artistically, which is not one of my strong suits. My undertaking of mandalas, in the end, has been a calming de-stressor and a fun and diverse activity with deep cultural ties and I am glad to have partaken in such an activity.

5th Mandala

This fourth mandala entry comes after a long weekend of activity and travel, so the calm and relaxation of drawing was very much needed and appreciated. I find that through these personal projects, drawing has become something I do more often, not solely to complete the bi-weekly entry. Sometimes, in between reading or studying, to de-stress, I will draw a mandala or any other image. Now most of these are not masterful works of art, as I would classify them as doodles – but the positive effects or at least feelings are certain.  On top of this, I never considered my self to be especially artistic. Regardless, mandala drawing is enjoyable relaxing, and even give a sense of freedom because they are so abstract and can be made in so many different ways.

Over this weekend in Philadelphia I encountered homelessness all over the city. When I had money and/or spare change on hand I gave out some to those who asked and especially those who tried to perform some kind of job (e.g. holding doors, playing music). This mandala was influenced by this charity and is seen in the collections of coins in the four quadrants and the links between them.

For me, the mandala has become a symbol of peace and calmness. Anytime I see a mandala either that I drew or see one elsewhere, I can take a step back and breathe and feel at least slightly more mindful. Additionally, I prefer to relate my mandalas to something significant in my life. Recently, I came into contact with a pocket watch at a festival and I have been using it as of lately. Immediately, I noticed a mandala-like abstract design on the back of my pocket watch, which serves as the theme for this 3rd personal project.

A clock, just as in the stopwatch, appears in the middle of the mandala, and it goes to represent the importance of staying on time and not wasting time. Both of these are things I hope to do in the future. Furthermore, there are flower-like images around the centerpiece

Picture of mandala

Pocket watch

which relates to our current change of seasons in the falling of leaves, changing of colors, etc. Coincidentally, I purchased this stopwatch at the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Fest.

Regardless, this mandala is based off a pocket watch and is intended to keep in mind good time management habits and a motivator because the time one has is limited.

I decided to take up mandala making as my personal project. I began to draw them often to practice the style of these repeating geometric patterns, however, I wanted to expand my project. I felt that simply drawing different looking mandalas or using different colors was not enough. Instead, I decided to make the mandala more physical and give the item more meaning. Seeing as that Lafayette College is my new home and the biggest change in my life so far, all the items I used in my mandala come from campus. Due to their abundance and the wide variety of shapes and colors, I chose to use flower leaves, stems, and pedals as the matter for my mandala.

What I find notable about this “flower mandala” I created is the diversity within the greater shape. By this, I mean that every item came from a different type of plant. The colors range from white to red to yellow and the textures of some leaves are rough while the pedals are like silk. Furthermore, some of the pedals are ripped or broken. They vary in size and some do not sit perfectly straight up. The beauty is that they can be this way. Its inconsistencies constitute its uniqueness and individuality.

The flower mandala is a reminder of Lafayette College itself and my experiences here. Further, the diversity in the mandala itself is what makes it entirely unique and personal.

Flower Mandala