Brandon Locher is a multimedia artist and music producer who presently lives and works in New York, NY. Since 2006, he’s had greater than 60 releases below varied names and creative media, together with audio recordings, visible artwork, multimedia artwork, and sound artwork. He’s been training the Transcendental Meditation approach for the previous two years. Right here’s what we discovered about his artistic work and the way his TM observe enriches his life.
What are your passions? What does a typical day in your week appear like?
One among my largest passions in life is just course of. I’m usually reminded of a passage from “Confessions of a Mountain Climber” by the artist Agnes Denes. “I’m a mountain climber, and there’s no method out however up. Not for the height–I’ve lengthy since understood about that–however for the mountain. You create the mountain, and then you definitely climb it. Not for the ultimate peak; the problem is the method and the journey, and the unattainable solutions are the lure.”
This assertion has at all times resonated with me as a result of I really feel course of is completely important to all the pieces in life. I’ve found I benefit from the fruitful outcomes extra profoundly after I take time having fun with the method and journey to completion. Course of is concerning the right here and now and waking as much as this very second.
I’ve been taking part in piano, studying books, and watching movies for leisure these days. Usually, I’m engaged on music or art work in my studio for no less than 6-8 hours a day. I’ve discovered it very useful and useful to construction my day however to permit tons of selection inside all the totally different elements. Day-to-day I’ll be making radically totally different music, consuming totally different meals, and experiencing inspiration and sweetness in unknown locations.
Do you see your self as anyone who took a leap of religion to stay a extra artistic life or do you assume it sort of simply occurred?
Fortunately, it simply occurred
I’ve at all times been fascinated about self-education, mainly gaining extra information that may be recycled again into my artistic practices and day-to-day life. Creativity, intelligence, and bliss are important components to stay a fulfilled life, and I really feel it’s my pure being to evolve in direction of a extra artistic life.
Studying Maharishi’s phrases, “Growth of happiness is the aim of life, and evolution is the method by way of which it’s fulfilled,” made me perceive why my thoughts at all times appeared naturally drawn to gaining information and finally reaching my full potential. It’s linked with the legal guidelines of nature. Creativity, to me, is pure success and happiness. My wonderful feeling lies within the act of being – bringing collectively values of absolutely the into relative existence with my expressions of music and artwork.
Are you able to converse extra about your drawing observe and its connection to transcendence?
I’ve at all times considered artwork as a collection of issues that have to be solved, and I’m usually drawing myself clear options solely to create a brand new downside for a future work. Since I began training Transcendental Meditation, I’ve seen the circulate and feeling I skilled my complete life whereas drawing is similar to the way in which I really feel after I transcend to extra delicate components of our thoughts and finally attain the supply of pure artistic intelligence.
I’ve not too long ago discovered it useful to attract instantly after my morning meditation as a result of I really feel extraordinarily settled and at peace. Many artists imagine that struggling, despair, or negativity assist give them a artistic edge. Once I was in my 20s, I additionally believed that you just wanted to carry on to that anger and struggling to finally be artistic. I’m grateful I’ve lastly found that in my case, struggling isn’t essential to stay a lifetime of creativity and happiness, and, subsequently, the act of creation is at all times a reduction from any struggling or sorrow in my very own life.
My drawings are created out of an appreciation, admiration, and love for the pure surroundings and universe. I significantly get pleasure from occupied with macrocosm and microcosm and seeing the identical patterns reproduced in all ranges of the cosmos, from the most important all the way in which all the way down to the smallest scale. I imagine, on this system, the midpoint is Man, who helps summarize the thriller of the cosmos. Drawing helps me set up peace and concord inside myself and finally with my environment and surroundings, too.
How does your surroundings play into your life?
I really feel a really robust sensitivity to my surroundings, and I’m at all times attempting to assist elevate my very own environment. I’m a complete homebody and really feel utterly content material staying at residence. Subsequently, I need to create an surroundings and environment that assist service and help my artistic intentions and wishes.
Listening to Maharishi say, “The universe influences the person and the person influences the universe,” helps me perceive why I’ve at all times felt a connection to the surroundings at giant. I’m one to ritualize not solely my home life but in addition my artistic practices as nicely, and sometimes these are one and the identical to me. My studio has at all times been in my residence, and, in a way, I’m creating art work and music for my residence. I’m repeatedly cultivating my area so it’s inspiring and consistently feels contemporary. It may be so simple as having contemporary reduce flowers that assist elevate my normal consciousness. I like to curate my area as a ritual for creating, and creating can be part of that very same ritual.
Each you and your sister are artists. Was artwork and creativity an enormous a part of your childhood?
My sister, Olivia Locher, is an excellent photographer identified for her sarcastic method to studio pictures. Throughout our childhood, our dad and mom inspired us to daydream and to by no means flip away from our goals. I’ll be turning 37 in a number of months, and I really feel like I’m removed from being a “grown-up” as a result of my life remains to be centered round creativeness because it was in my childhood and adolescence, finally, because of my dad and mom permitting us each the liberty to discover and develop with out too many pressures or constraints throughout childhood.
What are your three favourite “instruments” for a wholesome and comfortable life?
The quick tempo of life doesn’t enable an actual second of silence. Subsequently, I’ve discovered the Transcendental Meditation approach to be the best approach to pause and reset myself. Studying books offers me a lot information and inspiration. Probably the most grounding factor is consuming nicely. I’ve been a vegetarian since 2000, and for a few years I mainly ate “vegetarian junk meals.” It now feels acceptable to eat all natural and wholesome, home-cooked meals. I additionally actually get pleasure from rising and juicing wheatgrass; it’s a good way to begin the day!
How lengthy have you ever been training the Transcendental Meditation approach, and what impressed you to be taught?
I’ve been training Transcendental Meditation for 2 years, though I’ve been surprisingly fascinated about Transcendental Meditation since 2011, after I learn Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch. I at all times knew about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from The Beatles and different pop-culture information, however after I learn David Lynch’s e book, I assumed to myself, “Wow! Now this seems like one thing for me!”
Quick ahead 9 years, and I spoke with Bob Roth, who casually talked about how simple it was to enroll and be taught the Transcendental Meditation approach. The subsequent day I attended a fast introduction and began meditating that very same weekend!
My sister has been training TM since 2012, and the constructive results her meditation observe has performed on all elements of her life are inspiring and vibrantly current, and seeing these outcomes immediately was an enormous affect for me to lastly be taught as nicely.
What was your notion of meditation on the whole earlier than you discovered TM? Did that notion change after your first few experiences meditating?
Previous to studying Transcendental Meditation, my notion of meditation was that it concerned some kind of mental play. I assumed meditation was mentally difficult or a barely tough activity for the thoughts, however this was utterly unsuitable considering as a result of I shortly found that Transcendental Meditation is an harmless, easy, and really simple approach.
You’ll be able to be taught extra about Brandon and his physique of artistic work at www.brandon-locher.com or comply with him on Instagram.
To be taught extra concerning the TM approach, you may join together with your native TM instructor here.
