Leonardo

"I myself have proved it to be of no small use, when in bed in the dark, to recall in fancy the external details of forms previously studied, or other noteworthy things conceived by subtle speculation; and this is certainly an admirable exercise, and useful for impressing things on the memory." said Leonardo and this I have been accidentally doing for years. My ten years of meditation, visualisation both two and three dimensionally was actually and by chance my practise and training as a painter and not mere spiritual fancy. The mind control and patience learned from this diligent meditation was invaluable and the most important, and vast, difference between the me of today and the me who studied art at school and was at best mediocre. Mental control, the ability to remain calm and staid for hour after hour during consecutive days is as vital for a classical painter as patience and faith (that is confidence or self-belief).