Swadarma, by Ketut Budiana

To do swadharma (duties) means to do it without expecting anything in return, because the return will come by itself following the karma (Ketut Budiana)

To do, to Work, and to Search for something is a noble and valuable life….. Never waste your life.

Happiness is something everybody is searching for. The live in this world is an opportunity to be happy. To live means to move, to move means to work. That’s the meaning of doing the karma. Happiness is determined by one’s own karma in doing their swadharma (The proffesion chosen by oneself).

I have been given this opportunity to live on earth to choose art as my way of life in my quest for eternal happiness as my life goal, namely The Creator, through a very long life struggle against all obstacles, temptations, ups and downs, and various responsibilities.

That’s why I have been striving in a quest for the real life or freedom of life. It’s impossible to avoid two opposite things we call it “Rwa Bhinneda”, day – night, light – dark, happy – sad, male – female, heaven – earth, etc. The two opposite things have been my reflection to do my art, and I try to find the point where the two meet as a creative force to be put into various media like canvas, paper, wood or stone in paintings, sculptures, masks, or anything else using various techniques.

It is in my work that I find new things which always become my reflection and this makes me go deeper and deeper in the process of creation. Sometimes, what come up in my work are scary or weird figures.

This is the flow of energies which come from the inside in a synergy with the ones which come from the outside, microcosm and macrocosm. When such a thing comes up, I will follow, observe, feel, and cultivate them to be visualized in an artwork. This is an internal battle for peace, the real compassion.

This is just a short story of what I have done in sincerity for my swadarma.

Ketut Budiana, April 2019