Have you ever been mesmerized-just purely-when an alcohol ink painting strokes fluidly, dancing with your imagination? It’s actually an art form that speaks quite candidly to your very soul, whispering beauty found in restraint. It is often described as the serenity and limitless sky reflected in water. the tingology Jiu Jing Mo Shui Hua, minimalism can be described as a dancing between pure intention and the reflection of the sky.

Imagine that you have a day filled with errands and beeping gadgets. The cacophony is an orchestra of chaos. All that noise can it drown out your own music? This piece is a celebration of minimalism. The inkbrush in the background waves its baton, bringing simplicity to center stage. It’s amazing how one stroke can reveal such a lot.

Once I entered the workshop of a close friend; it was suffused with ink. Watch this,” he told me, in a way that revealed secrets to inner peace. Black bloomed on top of white paper in a single stroke, a stark contrast yet harmonious. What does it show? He inquired. I felt like I was trying to read some poetic poetry in silhouettes, a kind of shadowy landscape. In an instant I was no longer looking at the ink, but rather at the craggy valleys and peaks of a virgin mountain range. This is probably why this art form requires restraint: the ability to convey a message in fewer words. You can describe your entire day with three sentences. Or you can capture the joy of a good laugh rather than hours of forced fun. Those ink brush paintings did it excellently; there are no stories here encapsulated in thick sheets of words. These paintings evoke images and memories, sometimes even dreams you didn’t know you had.

It is often a delicate balance between the intention of those who paint with this liquid. If you apply too much or too little pressure to the piece, it may drown. What is life but a delicate balance of what we want and what happens? You get to make a new beginning with every fresh sheet of paper.

Now let’s dwell on this brush. It is as if the bristles conspire to bring nature and culture together in a realm that’s only surrounded by your mind. It’s almost like they are dancing, each curve and every flick adding weight. A simple tool can have many different uses. You can use it as a writing pen, to channel colors or a storyteller.