Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

The Most Wonderful Thing between My Artistic Father and Me

I am currently helping out at my father’s sculpture studio. My job description includes administrative duties, communication with cooperating vendors, planning and logistics of the sculptural art, paper work and reporting, and help with opening and closing ceremonies, etc. Every aspect of my responsibilities is complex and tedious. In the past, I used to feel really frustrated and stressed when trying to communicate with my father because he, being an artist, was extremely insistent and stubborn.

My grandfather was a pioneer sculptor of Taiwan, and my father, inheriting my grandfather’s sculpting talents and skills, believes that he needs to promote the art of sculpture and that Taiwan should be a leader in this area just like the European and American countries. However, this area is not particularly popular in Taiwan.

In the past, my father would always focus only on his own creativity and products and would think very differently from the buyers about many issues, such as delivery date, cooperation with assisting vendors, and the design of the place where his work of art would be situated. My father believed that he just needed to do his best to create the centerpiece; I however feel that art works are meant to be shown to others and are a holistic artistic planning process that needs careful design and execution. My father used to be a stubborn artist while I was an impatient person with a short fuse. Therefore, every time we discussed relevant planning process, we would end up being upset with each other and feeling bad afterwards due to bad communication.

After I joined the Tai Ji Men family to practice qigong, I have learned from Shifu to improve myself and change my temperament. Every time I am about to lose my temper, I will tell myself to calm down and adjust my breathing patterns. This allows me to settle down my emotions. Gradually I have become more stable and less volatile inside my heart even when challenging situations arise. Each time I would calm my mood first and then handle things and communicate with my father. Gradually my father came to understand my viewpoints. Our working relationship has since become more seamless. My father joined Tai Ji Men to practice qigong after he saw the positive changes in me.

Before joining Tai Ji Men, my father saw everything from the angle of a freelance artist. He barely saw things from the perspective of a buyer or took into consideration the surroundings where his piece of sculpture would be placed. My father’s change is dramatic after practicing Tai Ji Men Qigong. Through our constant communication, little by little, he started to take into account the buyers’ needs and other factors. For example, he now pays more attention to the due date of his works and the public’s possible reactions to his works, which he never thought about before.

In the past few years, the economic recession has negatively impacted the art industry. I have discussed with my father regarding diversification of risks. Finally we decided to have a multi-facet approach and widen the scope of our business. Our customers are no longer just the galleries or museums. Wherever there is a place that needs sculptures, we will be there to market our products. We have travelled across the country from the north to the south and met with many more buyers and cooperating vendors so as to discover and learn how to make our projects and process go more smoothly.

I used to have a hard time communicating with my father before practicing Tai Ji Men Qigong. After practicing, we have both learned the concept of diplomacy and balance. I will try to use the most peaceful way to communicate with my father, and he has become able to accept new ideas quicker. When conflicts arise due to our different thoughts or personality clashes, we will both calm down and think through everything. We will then discuss if the approaches are the most suitable and find the common ground in different views, making the communication go smoother.

The philosophy of yin and yang is what Shifu Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze has always taught us. Both my father and I believe in practicing Tai Ji Men Qigong with our hearts and being consistent. We are also willing to re-organize our thoughts and principles and accept different views and ideas. Now our relationship does not need lengthy and exhaustive communication or expressing ourselves by being angry and having frictions. Since we have learned the same philosophy, our communication is now based on sharing our thoughts and feelings. I feel this is the most wonderful thing in my life.