In Zen Buddhism, an 'ensō' is a circle that is hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create.

Sophie, a soul that I briefly met once before, with her partner, after they stayed at my father's property when visiting California from Holland. It wasn't until our chance encounter during golden hour at Echo Beach in Canggu, Bali that we met again. There was this exchange of energy with the couple, that when I met them, I felt right to put the time and effort into the relationship. It just flowed, we flowed.

At the time, Sophie was nurturing her creative life in Bali, by checking up on her jewelry production, which was being produced locally, while also taking a spontaneous detour to enjoy the Island of the Gods with her partner. I've seen Sophie's work (photography) through her Instagram, and it was something that I was very fond of–abstract, moody, and raw. It didn't strike me as anything ordinary, in fact the exact opposite, which I was mentally and physically drawn to.

We had planned to get together, along with a make-up artist and a stylist to join in the creative project (whom as a result, did not end up joining us). The simplicity of the work of Sophie and I unaccompanied, was in fact the whole vibe itself.

Creative life takes form, just like a river in a storm.

"Woman's eyes flash as they create...their faces flush with life, their hair shines...excited by the idea, aroused by the possibilities impassioned by the very thought, and are meant to flow outward and continuously on their own unparalleled creative path."

"...the one who is aroused, the one who in her heart rushes to touch everything she can to make grow takes the form of this river." [Women Who Run with the Wolves]

Sophie and I met at the crack of dawn. She had some ideas to begin with, which she showed me previously, but these just came as a source of inspiration.  It was just us and the nature surrounding.

The circular bond between two beings. The flow of energy within each body, and those bodies surrounding us. Me, Sophie and the nature in flow, creating waves of vibrations, moving in all directions. Some vibrations you can hear, like the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks at my feet. Some vibrations you can see, like the subtle breeze as it brushes against my scalp. Others, you can feel, like the sunshine crystallizing on my face.

My head space was empty. I felt the linen brush against my skin, the ocean splash across my ankles... it was as if Sophie wasn't even there, as if I was there, present among all the vibrations of the universe forming a circle around me.

The song of no mind—the lucid melody of nature at play.

"There is a continual dance of creation and annihilation, of mass changing into energy and energy changing to mass. Transient forms sparkle in and out of existence, creating a never-ending, forever newly created reality."

Sophie's brain sends an impulse to her fingers, which share a vibration to the camera, to trigger the lens to close and open manually. What we know as taking a photo is a choreographed dance of vibrations which will never be danced the same one-way again.

This dance never stops.

Activate your beating drum resonating inside of you. This melody can serve as a tool for you to access - a paintbrush to create.

Tune into your melody. Swim in the waters. Dance to the ecstasy of the inner flow.

Freehand your reality.

Draw your circle.

Photography: @sophiemylou

Jewelry: @oceanrepublic

Canggu, Bali, Indonesia