Pau Morales, Catalan painter and musician

I look to find God in music and painting. There are many things that help me. Perhaps the first is to find moments throughout the day of peace, of silence. But not to have a blank mind. A peace and silence to talk with God, and try to fall more in love with Him.

Moments of Pau with God

I try to find a quiet place. A chapel, if possible. I know that Jesus is there, in the Tabernacle, with his beard and his thirty years. I talk to him about what I will do during the day, about the people I will meet. I take the Gospel and try to get some teaching out of it. Then I'm ready to paint, sing and whatever I need to do.

Another thing that helps me is using alarm clocks, objects that help me think about God while I work: a family photo, an image of Our Lady, some letters written on a piece of paper, when I'm painting a graffiti and I remember to offer it for some purpose, or when I do a concert, I turn that activity into a time of prayer, offering it for peace, for a friend... for whatever you need.

But when I'm at a concert or painting graffiti, I'm not reciting Hail Marys, I'm doing what I'm doing, enjoying myself “having a good time”.

Sometimes in the car I pray for the people I'm going to meet at the concerts, for my stage partners, for the audience. An audience that may not listen to you, and this makes you grow in humility. Or they applaud you a lot and I swagger like a freak, then, if I keep God in mind, I rectify the intention and say, Lord, all the glory goes to You.

STRUGGLE in small things

Another thing that works for me is taking care of -or trying to take care of- small things. Small details that people may not see, but I know that God sees them: cleaning a paintbrush, tidying up the cables. St. Josemaría used to say that he could tell how the spiritual life of a person was by looking at how their drawers were organized… the question is to try.

Saint Josemaría also spoke of the importance of the struggle. In a very funny get together in Brafa, he imitated a pole-vaulter and explained the story of that man who is training to improve his mark, but one day perhaps he has not trained enough, he has not warmed up, he has eaten too much and has an injury. So what does he do? He makes an effort and tries again. We do the same. When we put our foot in our mouth, we take it out, and we keep fighting.

I don't know if we will save the world, but what I have to do is keep my feet on the ground and, at the same time, fill myself with the Love of God and spread it wherever I go with what I know how to do, music and painting.