About the Artist, Daniel B. Holeman

I've been on the path of self-discovery and the quest for meaning in life and fulfillment since I was about 15 years old - that being my main focus and pursuit.

Someone pointed out to me some years ago that my name made a statement: As if an instruction from my parents - "Daniel, be whole man." (Daniel B. Holeman). That has been the quest of my life - to become whole.

And what does it mean to me to be "whole"? To me it means to be unified; to be one with life and God; to no longer be split between my "lower nature" and my true SELF; to not be split between my apparent ego-identity and my true-nature SELF; to BE my true self and at one with all. To be whole and still a man. To be true. To be in Truth. To Live from my True Nature. To be HOME.

That about sums it up!

Some people ask about my artistic background. I did well in High School art class (1969 - 1970) and then never did anything artistic again until 1989 when I was 37. My life has mainly been a story of the quest to find meaning in life; searching and trying many things, exploring consciousness, inquiring into the true nature of things.

Society loves all the degrees and diplomas. I never went to college or took any classes in art or computers. I sought my own ways to "get" acceptance, validation and a sense of value in the eyes of others. (none of them worked)

So the fact that I am doing artwork late in life, all self-taught, is encouragement to anyone who may want to follow their dream in life. It is never too late to change direction. I say, go ahead, in spite of all the doubts and fears. And to all those who angst about finding their "mission" in life, I say "relax". I found that as we grow and evolve, so does our contribution to life. I also found that it is not about what we DO or even what we KNOW, it is about how we BE. One can DO the most "important" work in the world but still BE cruel and selfish. One can KNOW the bible by heart, yet be a self-righteous know-it-all. While another can do simple things, know little and BE generous of heart and soul.

I did a weekly radio talk show on personal growth and transformation from 1993 to 1998 called "The Conscious Cafe".

I have spent so much of my life seeking the inspiration that I felt I needed to have a meaningful life (because I started out with such despair and hopelessness). And this search for inspiration has come through in the art and words I share. It was really me inspiring myself and then externalizing it. Many people say they are inspired by the images and touched in deep places.

I have found that it is a process and the more whole, the more true I become, the more I naturally affect others in that way. What drops away is my feeling that I need it (inspiration). It is what the artwork stands for that is gaining popularity. My function is serving to inspire others to find the TRUTH within themselves. I also point to True Teachers. There are many spiritual teachers who are not True Teachers.

Although I did well in evolving (coming into more truth with) certain parts of my self and my life, I found that I was still ignoring and avoiding certain issues in my self and that was resulting in continued unfulfillment and longing. So I focused intently on facing those issues I had been still avoiding, and I sought the guidance of True Teachers.

I discovered that I still subscribed to huge fear and "I can't" deeply rooted that was hidden away from my conscious awareness. And that holding onto this "untruth" for so many years was taking its toll on my life. Over time, this searching for the cause of my suffering and unfulfillment led me to increased clarity and truth about what I did that causes the suffering. And finding that, ultimately, I am the source of it all - the truth and the suffering.

Daniel in 2000

Why do I share this with the world? Because seeing these things in myself allows me to see them in others - with increasing acceptance instead of disdain. I have found that the only truly fulfilling things in life are QUALITIES of BEING, and are based in Truth which result in people connecting with each other honestly and in their hearts, and seeing through the distortions and facades and ego-antics. I had been so asleep in my early life in my self created distortion, the pain and isolation prompted me to seek answers and after trying many things I found that TRUTH is the only answer. "Healing" and external influences may soothe us (pain relief) temporarily but, since we created our own "illusion", only WE can undo it through BEING in Truth with ourselves and life. Thus the life theme of AWAKEN. And the artistic VISIONS are the visual expressions of that theme. To maintain that things outside of us can hurt us, or that we need things outside to heal us just perpetuates the illusion that we are separate from and adversely affected by an arbitrarily unfriendly universe, rather than endorsing the higher truth that we are an integral and equal part of life, and we are 100% responsible for our experience, our life. And that how we are treated by life (others) is a direct reflection of how we treat life (we reap what we sow - always - even if it does not always seem like it). It is truly all our Self; so how could it be otherwise?
(Photo June, 2000)

Thanks very much for your appreciation of my work. It is simply an ability to capture what feels good to me. It's great that others like what I like too. The beauty is a quality - an endowing of spirit that seems to come forth from our true nature.
I am a presenter - or more like a photographer or flower arranger, saying "Look! Isn't this beautiful?"

Daniel
July, 2000

Ongoing thanks and love to Ekhart Tolle, Candice O'Denver, Eli Jaxon-Bear and Gangaji, as well as Adyashanti, John de Ruiter, Isaac Shapiro and Byron Katie who have been my teachers and who I respect and appreciate greatly. All are great inspirations to me and Linda and we are deeply grateful. Click for more info on them all.

I am living in San Rafael, Marin County, just north of San Francisco, CA. with my beloved wife and true friend, Linda Delair.

I am also building web sites for people and using my artistic skills to make very cool and attractive sites for people. I am also doing assorted art projects for people like CD covers and book covers and web graphics - see samples.

Daniel
2007

Blessings to all beings in these times of great changes. May we all find more truth, love and understanding and realize our True Nature. From the turbulence may we all find what is truly important. May we be in truth and love one another. Please be good to each other.