South Africa

^{Posted on Wednesday 2nd April, 2008}

One on One with Dr. Michael Durst

^{Interview by Bertha Kang'ong'oi, AfricanColours}

^{Dr. Michael Durst has had a wide range of professional experience. Trained in psychology and Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy, he is well acknowledged as an international speaker, consultant and author. His three books, "Napkin Notes: On the Art of Living," "Management By Responsibility," and "Responsibility: The South African Imperative," have been used widely in businesses and universities. "Napkin Notes" has received a consistent 5-Star rating on Amazon.com and has been hailed as one of the best self-help books on the market.}

^{Michael grew up in Michigan, and went to Oakland University for his Bachelor's degree, where he majored in psychology, English and art. He went on to Michigan State University for his Master's degree and finally to Loyola University in Chicago for his Ph.D.}

^{Living in various places in the United States and international travel, have afforded Michael many experiences and re-kindled his interest in art.}

^{In 1990, he was asked to do a speaking tour in South Africa in order to help set the stage for the new emerging government. In 1993, he had the opportunity of working with Nelson Mandela and the Secretary General's Office of the African National Congress to create the mission and operating strategy for the "New South Africa" which became a reality a year later.}

^{Michael loved the beauty of South Africa, especially the mountains, vineyards and scenes of Cape Town. In the past few years, he turned his attention to painting his new love. His work is a wonderful blend of realism and impressionism, stemming from the heart-filled messages from his soul. They have been used in researching the nature of art in the healing process. His paintings create an emotional link to the heart, thus the name: "heartscapes."}

^{Dr. Michael Durst is one of the new artists featured on AfricanColours.net and it was my pleasure to interview him for "One-On-One."}

^{How long have you been painting?}

^{Dr. Durst: Actually, I have been painting and drawing as far back as I can remember. As I child I sent in sketches to an art school and was accepted, but of course, didn't attend. I grew up on a farm, and so there weren't as many formal opportunities for art studies. But that environment provided me a great deal by surrounding me with natural beauty of nature. In high school, I took all the classes I could in art and I received blue ribbons for the art I submitted at the county fairs. People were continually telling me, "You should be an artist "when you grow up." I guess it has taken me longer than others to grow up!}

^{Are you self-taught or did you go to school to learn your art?}

^{Dr. Durst: That's really a "both-and" rather than an "either-or" for me. As I said, I took art courses in high school and university. But much of the latter had to do with art history, rather than actual learning how to paint.}

^{One of my art professors was a well-known Abstract Expressionist. I remember an incident in class in which we had been studying a model and painting her for hours. At the end of the day, I felt proud that I had captured what I felt was her beautiful essence, and the light falling softly on her so that it seemed to energize her light from within. It was quite a realistic piece quite like a Degas ballerina.}

^{My professor, who hated any form of realism, burst into the room and proceeded to cut my canvas to shreds with a large pair of scissors, berating my style as "old school" and not expressive of true emotion. He went on to state that I had become too attached to the piece and that true art is owned by the universe.}

^{At first I was quite shaken from the experience. But when he left I realized that he was correct about the attachment, and it did teach me a valuable lesson that my art is not for me but for others. However, to deal with the embarrassment and shock of the other students, I quickly found a new canvas and ran over to it, throwing paint in long thick lines and slashes in dominant colours of reds, blacks, and purples. I took great paints to exaggerate every stroke, to show "my strong emotional surrender" and had the class howling in response.}

^{My professor came back into the room and exclaimed that it was the best work he had seen at the university. To this day, my "joke" is on permanent display in the library at the university. However, I still go back to my original love of realism that defines the essence of peace.}

^{Please explain the concept of finding healing through art}

^{Dr. Durst: I love a quote from Dr. Rachel Remen, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom: "At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity."}

^{Shortly after I began painting full time, I started to research the topic of healing and found that I am a part of a small, but rapidly growing group of artists, who affectionately call themselves, "Heartists," who are involved in the field of art and healing. Art and healing are combing forces to become one and as they merge, both art and the field of medicine will be changed. The reasons for this are complex, but it involves the simple recognition that healing is not just in the physical realm, but more importantly involves a spiritual path, a transformational process, and a way of being.}

^{Certainly art therapy is well researched and concludes that the creative process enhances the healing process, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What we are now finding out is that art, itself, can free the body's healing mechanisms to heal. This is the type of art that unites the body, mind, and spirit. By looking at beautiful art, just like listening to beautiful music, there is no need for interpretation or therapy. The individual is transformed by the piece to experience an inner depth which is where the healing process takes place. So this is not art therapy, which is very valid and I support. No, in this way, the art itself is transformation and that is what I attempt to create with my heartscapes. How does art heal? Scientific studies tell us that art heals by changing a person's physiology and attitude. The body's physiology changes from stress to deep relaxation, from fear to love, and from stagnation to creativity and inspiration. This type of art puts a person into a different brain wave pattern, affects a person's autonomic nervous system, their hormonal balance and their brain neurotransmitters.}

^{What inspires you?}

^{Dr. Durst: What inspires me are experiences that I like to call "Magical Moments." These are those instances that literally take my breath away. Many of these involve landscapes, seascapes, sunsets, flowers, and watching wild life. It's more than just the colours and light, although those elements are primary. It involves a spiritual connection. It is as though those conditions allow me to fully experience a connection with spirit, with God, if you will.}

^{These are the "heartfelt moments" that I love to paint.}

^{What are heartscapes?}

^{Dr. Durst: Unconsciously, I believe that I use my background as a psychologist and Heart-Centered Therapist, to paint scenes that produce a sense of calm and appreciation for the viewer. Soon, just a glance at the painting creates an increase of inner peace and tranquility.}

^{The images invite the viewer into the painting or as one person said, "I feel I can walk into your paintings and just be there indefinitely. It's as though time stops."}

^{I believe this is accomplished through a combination of realism and impressionism. Even though a scene can be breathtaking, it alone cannot create the feeling of emotion. For example, I understand that a photograph can only distinguish between 6 levels of shade, whereas the human eye/brain connection can distinguish 10 levels of shading. By adding the colors and textures, the ego and its judgment is subdued by the realism, allowing the heart and soul to respond and to "see" the experience.}

^{My paintings are created using multiple layers of paint and medium, often with vibrant colours and a three-dimensional effect, rather than responding to the scene as it actually was. They are often quietly engaging in their visual impact. In most of my work, this combination appears as high realism, yet the viewer cannot help but be enthralled to experience a vibrant impressionistic painting. That's why I refer to my style as "Realimpressionism" Unlike an actual image, my paintings are free to be manipulated in form, colour, and composition, evoking the most complex emotions possible. I work with the image spontaneously, becoming more detailed as the composition evolves into the rendering of the moment.}

^{As an artist, this montage intrigues me. Texture and colour are the primary vehicles in my pieces. By combining these vital elements with the perspective and shape of the original scene, each painting is transformed over time because of the richly layered deposit of colour, texture and new form. Each piece becomes a repository for subconscious positive thoughts and feelings, allowing the viewer to feel mesmerized with a sense of internal peace and coherence. Because of this, my paintings welcome the viewer to actually experience them, rather than just view them, making the scene better than life because it is a heart-felt journey. This is the same way that our memories create an over-lament, which enhances the original experience or another example is how we see and experience the world when we are "in love."}

^{When I feel a balance is reached between the realism of the original scene, and the new visual texture and colour, the piece is complete. It is at that point that a shift occurs in how one views the painting. Only then does the new vibrational intensity connect with the static nature of the captured moment, and it then becomes a "heartscape."}

^{Did you start painting heartscapes out of a personal experience with healing through art? Or how did you get here?}

^{Dr. Durst: Your questions are very perceptive. When my father was dying of cancer, he insisted on having his bed in the living room, so he could be surrounded by my paintings. I had painted one of three lionesses, one of a vineyard and its manor house, and one of the ocean at sunset. He told everyone, that whenever he felt sorry for himself, or pain, he would "visit his lions for a while" or "watch the sunset," or "go to the vineyard." My stepmother told everyone that he spent hours and hours focused on the paintings. His doctors were amazed at his ability to not experience pain and to continue to laugh and joke right to the very end of his life. Everyone was pleased about how gently he went into his good night.}

^{After his death, I became very focused on creating art work. I believe that it was healing for me, but I quickly noticed that it was for others as well.}

^{One client, who was going through Heart-Centered Therapy with me, asked if he could focus on one of my paintings to bring him into a mental state where ultimate healing could take place. Later he asked to buy the painting and continues to tell me how it makes him quiet his mind and relax whenever he looks at it, which is very frequently.}

^{I also quickly began to notice how friends and visitors would begin to stare into my paintings and almost become transfixed. During a recent solo exhibition, the one comment that continually was expressed was how everyone would walk to each painting, stop for a long while, breath deeply, and then go on to the next painting.}

^{What is the feedback you get from others who use your paintings to find healing?}

^{Dr. Durst: I was privileged to work with a physician here in Cape Town, who introduced me to the Heartmath system, which has shown through countless studies during the past two decades that the heart is just not a muscular pump for blood, but is itself is a type of brain. The "heart brain" that is the ultimate source of creating states of healing in the body, as well as maximum performance physically and mentally. Actually, the heart was the first developed organ, acting as the only brain for the developing fetus, long before the actually brain was formed.}

^{By using a software programme, called "Freeze-Framer," people can learn how to control their Heart Rate Variability from a jangled wave to a smooth flowing wave, and the patients can actually watch their own Heart Rate Variability as it is happening.}

^{When stressed, your heart rhythm has an irregular, jagged, incoherent pattern. When one shifts into a more positive emotional state noted by appreciation and love, the heart rhythm variability pattern changes to a smoother, wave-like, coherent pattern.}

^{By achieving a state of sustained "coherence" patients are able to increase their body's natural state of healing, rather than relying solely on drugs or other medical interventions. This was particularly important since many of the patients were HIV positive and lacked the funds for expensive anti-viral medications.}

^{We found that many of the patients were able to more quickly achieve and sustain coherence by viewing my artwork, of their choosing. (The physician's office has my work in all of the waiting rooms and the reception area).}

^{This research reinforced other studies that have been done by an artist testing the Heartmath process. The results were as follows: "Initial double blind studies using Biofeedback, medical monitoring systems and the HeartMath system. document that it takes less than 5 seconds of exposure to the energy of an individual painting for positive changes to occur in a subject's heart waves (HRV), respiration rates, body temperature and brain waves (EEG). Documented changes also occurred in their bioenergetic or subtle energy fields." It was found that what creates the art's healing ability was, ".the combination of colors, images and textures in the painting.}

^{It is this combination that activates the brain to trigger chemicals and the body's cellular system to trigger internal frequencies that help assist the body to repair itself. The art of healing is taken to a new level. This is art for healthcare. The art is the therapy!"}

^{The reason for this is that art affects every cell in the body instantly to create a healing physiology that changes the immune system and blood flow to all the organs. Art also has the ability to immediately change people's perceptions of their world. Thus, art can help people change their attitudes, emotional states, and, like my father, the perception of pain that they experience. The right type of art creates hope and positive feelings and can help people cope with difficulties by transforming a person's outlook and way of being in the world. Neurophysiologists are finding that positive art, prayer, and healing all come from the same source in the body. All are associated with similar brain wave patterns, heart-rate variability, and mind-body changes.}

^{All of these experiences take us to the inner world of visions, love, spirit and soul. It's at this profound inner world where healing takes place, not restricted to a physical level, since that is not always possible, but on an emotional and spiritual level. For years research has shown that certain types of music promote healing. We are now beginning to understand that the same is true for the visual arts as well. Just as Pachelbel's Canon in D major is found to be more healing than hard rock, not all visual art is healing to the same degree,( or in some instances some art may even be detrimental). A good analogy would be the difference between beautiful music and noise.}

^{I am pleased to be working and studying what types of paintings create healing from within, so that our own healing resources are freed to allow our immune system to operate optimally. These types of healing paintings are physically non-invasive. Their purpose is not to replace medical therapies, but to assist and amplify other healing treatments, procedures and prescriptions. This type of art is used to facilitate ongoing and continuous positive energies and healing benefits. This is a long explanation.}

^{Yes, I receive feedback directly from people who use my paintings for the healing process, as well as the verifiable data of the changes in their heart-rate variability. It goes much deeper than a statement, "I really like your paintings." My paintings are specifically designed to increase one's level of coherence and are especially useful for medical and holistic professionals in their offices, clinics and hospitals.}

^{The purpose of my art is to create physical, mental, and spiritual healing and well-being.}

^{Do you plan on doing a book on heartscapes?}

^{Dr. Durst: People have been encouraging me to do so. I would like to do a more encompassing book on the nature of healing and use Heartscapes as a major component in the piece. Many of the thousands of people who read my book, Napkin Notes: On the Art of Living, have pleaded with me for years to do a sequel.}

^{It is now looking more and more like a book on the "Art of Healing."}

^{What else to you do when you aren't painting?}

^{Dr. Durst: I enjoy nature and spend as much time as possible with family and friends. I have three grown sons and two beautiful granddaughters who are a constant joy to me. I have been blessed with a partner and soul-mate for almost 32 years, who continually inspires me to share my visions and insights with the world. I continue to do a lot of reading in spiritual realms as well as psychology.}

^{In your own words, define what you think art is.}

^{Dr. Durst: Wow, that is a broad definition, almost like what is the purpose of life, itself. Of course, it would differ for each individual.}

^{For me, art is beauty. As such, it evokes the highest good in the nature of man. As such, it is an expression of God.}

^{Some art work is to make a statement; some is for decorating one's home and business; some is to stir the emotions from angst to outrage; some is to show a view of the artist reflecting the turbulence of the current time.}

^{As I stated earlier in this interview, my art is very different.}

^{I use my background as a psychologist and Heart-Centered Therapist, to paint scenes that produce a sense of calm and appreciation.}

^{In his brilliant work, Power Vs. Force, Dr. David Hawkins had some very profound insights into art that resonated with me at the core of my being:}

^{"The fine arts have always provided the venue for man's highest spiritual strivings in the secular realm.Great art not only brings forth the ordered essence of human experience, but of the world we live in, too-this is what we call beauty.In beholding realized beauty, a sensitivity to the beautiful is implanted in us, enabling us to discover and create, our own aesthetic rewards I the apparently disordered jumble of existence.}

^{Art and love are man's greatest gifts to himself; and there can be no art without love. Art is always the making of the soul.Dedicated artists put love into their work."}

^{Thus, for me, art is beauty, love and spiritual and the consequence is a sense of awe and healing.}

^{What's the future for heartscapes?}

^{Dr. Durst: I feel that I have just begun to scratch the surface on heartscapes and their usefulness. Who could use art for healing?}

^{Anyone who wants to live a more stress free life, actualize their potential and come from their heart to make the best decisions possible in their life. Apart from their use in individual homes and offices, I project that heartscapes as art for health could be used in healthcare facilities, hospitals, doctor and dental offices, as well as hotels and corporate offices.}

^{Waking up to one of these paintings and looking at one before you drift off to sleep is wonderful. Looking at them in a dining room while you eat, or setting a tone of comfort and relaxation in a lounge or living room suite is great for allowing rich conversation and connection of the spirit.}

^{And as in the case of my father, these healing art paintings are particularly supportive for anyone with a health issue: the elderly and those in critical, chronic, degenerative or delicate health situation that need ongoing and non-invasive energy support}

^{One of the healing artists, Tamae Agnoli, so aptly described my experience as an artist:}

^{"I don't 'consider' my art healing as if there is other kind of art that is not healing, instead I feel all art is healing. When I am painting I am happy being there and the act of painting is healing. Maybe it is because nature represents original pure soundness and healing is the process of attaining it, or desire to attain.}

^{Being in nature is resting, seeing flowers bloom is rejuvenating, worshipping them is painting them and painting is healing. If I worship hard enough I can convey the healing to others who see my paintings."}

^{In a like fashion, my hope is that by painting while I am experiencing love, I can "worship" the subject enough to create healing and the expression of love for the viewer.}

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