Frozen In Time: Live As An Artist

In this episode, Kolby reflects on the unique power that great artists possess: the ability to be completely present, to immerse themselves in the moment, and to translate that fleeting experience into something lasting. Through the lens of artistic expression — whether in paint, sound, or word — he explores how these creators manage to distill time into form, capturing something eternal within a single breath of inspiration. By examining how art becomes a vessel for presence, Kolby invites listeners to consider how they, too, might live more fully, noticing the beauty in small moments and embracing the quiet stillness where creation begins.

Transcript

Frozen in time,

Hey,

It's Colby.

Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers.

A moment in time,

Capturing stillness,

Reflecting mystery,

Gratitude,

Even friendship.

One moment,

Breathe with that,

Let it settle.

One single moment.

The opening pages of All the Pretty Horses,

Cormac McCarthy.

A man walks into a room,

Nothing grand,

No music swells,

No applause,

Just the moment.

A flicker of candlelight,

Light dancing on glass,

Twisting as he passes.

The soft creak of floorboards beneath him,

Stillness,

Alive.

One moment,

Let's linger here.

Hold it,

Don't rush it.

This is what presence feels like,

A fullness in the ordinary.

John Lennon sings,

Dear prudence,

Won't you come out to play?

The invitation is simple,

Not just to play,

But to emerge,

To be here.

Prudence,

Won't you come out of your room and spend this moment with me?

It's a plea,

A prayer,

An awakening.

One moment in time.

Great artists,

They understand the now.

They don't run from it,

They live in it,

They breathe in it,

Wait inside it.

The beauty of the present,

Not some idea,

But a lived thing,

A felt thing,

A breath.

When presence comes to you more frequently,

Life becomes art,

Not the canvas or the song or the page,

But the act of living,

Of noticing,

Of being.

Every human can recognize beauty,

Not just in sunsets or sonatas,

But in the quiet,

The still,

The unseen.

And we can train ourselves to notice it.

Through meditation,

We become more aware,

More open,

More here.

When consciousness is still and the static of the mind fades,

Beauty sharpens.

It becomes undeniable.

Let's meditate together right now.

Get comfortable.

No rush,

No goal,

Just presence.

Feel your fingers touch your skin.

Notice that sensation,

Soft,

Warm.

Are there sounds around you,

Far off,

Close by?

Let them be part of this moment.

Don't chase them.

Don't name them.

Just listen.

Listen,

Like the world is whispering.

Now,

Breathe.

Gently.

Let your breath be a bridge to now.

Not tomorrow,

Not before.

Now,

Just be.

Just be.

This moment,

This exact breath is alive,

Frozen in time,

And so are you,

Beautiful.