The Magic Lamp, a book about the power of our imagination and the value of all our feelings,
written and illustrated by Deb Koffman. Published by Bellastoria Press. This is a video of the book launch at
Deb Koffman’s Artspace in Housatonic Massachusetts. With a delightful line up of characters from the book!!!
I make art (stories, poems, cartoons, installations, card decks) to understand, reflect and honor my emotions and thinking patterns. I write stories about choice, poems that give me advice, cartoons that remind me what really matters to my heart and soul.
I’m deeply drawn to Buddhist teachings and to the practice of meditation and mindful awareness. I practice paying attention to my reactions, my thinking, my speech, my physical sensations. My books, cartoons and card decks all offer me guidance, wise advice, reminders when I’m stuck or struggling, lost or confused.
My hope is that my work encourages your well-being, helping you navigate your emotional and mental life more easily.
When I moved to the Berkshires in 1988 I didn’t know a thing about spirituality or feelings or healing or art. I was deeply deeply unhappy and confused about life. I didn’t know what mattered, I didn’t know how I mattered.
By chance, and grace I discovered Kripalu, Gurudev, yoga, and an amazing community of body-centered healers. My whole world changed. What I wore, what I ate, what I thought about, my friends, the pace I moved at, what I cared about. I read TONS of books on psychology, physics, mind-body awareness and healing. I found and studied NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and Ericksonian Hypnosis with Zen teacher and NLP trainer, Richard Clarke. NLP became a foundation for my thinking and being, and continues to inform my life and art.
I studied and trained in Vivation(breathwork), NVC(non-violent communication), authentic movement(a mindfulness based movement practice), continuum, and mindfulness meditation.
All of these practices inspired ART. I needed to make visual reminders of what I learned ‘on the cushion’ and in the therapist’s office.
Most of my work (on myself and on paper) is about understanding words; concepts, feelings and ideas that don’t make sense to me. Words have the power to ground me and comfort me or twist me into a whirling ball of distress, confusion and fear.
Compassion, love, creativity, depression, peace, presence, humility, relax, choice, emptiness.
What do these words really mean? Deeply? In my body? Does ‘crazy’ mean wrong? or different? or brave? or swimming in unknown territory?
I explore words/concepts through writing, drawing, painting and performance art. I work on the computer in photoshop, powerpoint and final cut. I use whatever form ‘it takes’ to figure out what the word really means.
Making art has saved my life and kept me sane, by helping me literally to SEE what goes on in my mind. Once seen, I am free to make new (or the same old) choices.
There are so many ways to define what we see. The definition we use inspires a different response.
Seeing this as nothing I might dismiss it. Seeing this as open or available, I might use it to create something new. I think freedom has a lot to do with choice. Free to see and to choose what to see, in anything.
This is a cartoon about choice. How we use anything is really up to us.
Mindfulness is sitting with things. As they are. Without doing anything about them. Just noticing. Just feeling.
There are so many ways to look at life. Why do we choose just one way? Experiment, look at your life, your relationships, your job, your ideas in another way. Look up, down, all around, look mad, sad, curiously . Or don’t look. Listen.
How can I simply BE with whatever is happening? With restlessness, loneliness, pain, bliss…as if each one is a unique pattern of energy, vital, interesting, not good or bad. Watch it, breathe, give it space, let it move on its own.
I love these handwritten feelings. Because of the graphic quality of the handwriting and because I care about each feeling. I am trying to remember that they change, and that each one deserves my love and attention, equally.
If I hold onto love, all the others can come and go and I’ll be fine, I think.
