What is Mandala Art?

Making mandala art is an ancient tradition. The word mandala means “circle” in sanskrit. So any art that takes a generally circular geometric shape could be called a mandala. 

Mandalas in ReligioN

The term was originally used in Buddhism and then Hinduism. They were used by monks in religious ceremonies and for meditation.

The theme of circular patterns with symmetrical geometric shapes can be seen in religions all over the world, across time. There is something deeply symbolic about a circle that expands out with repetitive shapes, colors, and patterns. In nature it can be seen in an atom, a flower, the cross section of a tree, certain rock formations or as large as a solar system or galaxy. It can feel like a metaphor for life from the birth canal to a “light” at the end of a tunnel. 

Mandala Art Therapy 

In the early 20th Century the use of mandalas as a form of art therapy has been credited to the famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. He believed that circular mandala drawings corresponded to something happening in the subconscious and was a process of re-balancing the personality and its surroundings. He began recommending these drawings as a tool for personal growth and many art therapy practitioners followed in those footsteps. 

These days, both children and adults enjoy coloring mandalas in coloring books as a way to unwind and practice dexterity.

Abstract Geometric Digital Drawings

I stumbled onto mandalas by accident with little clue of this deep history. In the early days of the 2020 pandemic lockdown here in New York I tried a new drawing app for my iPad called Procreate. It has a drawing assist feature that allows you to draw symmetrically and the result was very mandala/kaleidoscope-like imagery. I began playing around with it and discovered that it gave me a very tranquil and satisfying feeling, a lot like what Jung described through his work. Procreate also has a video feature that shows a time-lapse version of your artwork and I felt a similar ease at watching the imagery unfold again. 

At the time I felt like people could use some peaceful, mindful space-creating imagery to break up their social media feeds full of doom and gloom. I recorded some slow quiet covers to go along with them and posted them on Instagram. That was a change from the fast-paced punky running songs I used to post, but not unnatural for me, because most of my singing lately has been lullabies to get babies to sleep.

Mandala Art Print on Demand

Then when I discovered Red Bubble I realized I could turn my mandala drawings into patterns that I could put on clothing or tapestries. They also make nice stickers, buttons, stationary, phone cases, and masks. I especially like the A-line dresses that they offer. It’s like a little mandala art infusion throughout daily life. 

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Here are a few of my favorites:

The Colorful Meditative “Inner Light” Mandala 

There was a hashtag on Instagram promoting a call for “Inner Light” covers from George Harrison’s official account. I saw it a little late, but it felt in line with what I was trying to do with the mandalas so I did it anyway. I listened to the song on repeat while I did the drawing so it was completely inspired by the song itself. It uses all the colors of the rainbow with a golden colored outline and the whole process felt very meditative.

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Unique Indigo Mandala

Overall I’d say my mandalas are unusual to the genre. I don’t use the traditional shapes or techniques so at first I was a little hesitant to even call them mandalas, but it turns out the definition is pretty loose and forgiving for present day secular mandalas. 

I call this one “Indigo” because it uses a lot of blue and purple and colors blending the two. It feels like it could be a black light poster or something decorating an old music venue.

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The “Mama” Mandala

This mandala has a special place in my heart because as I was drawing it my youngest son looked up at me and said “Mama.” He was only 5 months old at the time and it felt very meaningful like his first attempt at communicating something through syllables. I sketched the word “MAMA” around the edges to mark it. Later, when I was recording the cover “You Said Something” by PJ Harvey, Joey piped in through the baby monitor as he was waking up from his nap. I left it in the video because it felt like a meant to be pair with the Mama mandala.

The mandala is red, white, blue, and pink on a royal blue background.

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Trippy Mandala

This mandala is on a completely black background with bright red, blue, and green shapes, lines, and dots. I call it the “trippy” mandala because it remind me of those laser effects at late night music festivals that make people who are tripping go crazy. Really it’s a play with the primary colors of light. With the light of the screen it’s like they’re glowing in the dark.

Shop the Trippy Red, Blue, and Green on Black Mandala on Red Bubble

Blue Guitar Mandala

This one feels like a collaboration with Allison Mosshart because I was listening to her solo spoken word album when I was drawing it and I let it inspire me. The colors are more muted and almost smokey. I wanted the blacks to look like distressed black denim. Then I got the inspiration to put a blue guitar in the middle just because I love blue guitars and I wanted it to look really rock ‘n’ roll. The guitar that immediately popped into mind to use as a model was Dave Grohl’s from the Foo Fighters.

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