I am an Iranian American, a widely published and exhibited artist, and a recipient of University of Delaware Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement awarded to alumni who exhibit a great promise in their professional and public service activities.

In 1986, when New York Museum of American Folk Art and 3M Corporation launched a national competition for the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration, 28 regional and national judges gathered in New York City to judge 1200 pieces of submitted artworks.  They were judged for originality, overall appearance, design composition, and technical expertise. I was delightfully blessed for becoming an award recipient of that competition. 

I was already trained as an artist under the tutelage of a Japanese teacher when I enrolled in the University of Delaware and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. I later earned a Master of Science degree in Interior Design from Drexel University, followed by a Master of Fine Arts scholarship to Temple University, Tyler School of Art. 

On the hindsight, I now realize that I was on an evolutionary path with a yearning desire to understand life at a deeper level that satisfied my curiosity. I didn’t quite know what was it that I was looking for, but all I knew was that the more I learned, the more interested I became. 

My life was a cornucopia of skills and know-how that were gradually acquired throughout my evolution. I had traveled to many parts of the globe and had become acquainted with many diversified cultures around the world. I was genuinely interested in everything I was doing and enjoying my accomplishments; but there was a persisting void within me, like a longing for something that I could not clearly articulate and know how to satisfy it; but nevertheless a few questions kept me preoccupied regarding good and evil, life and death and the universe with all its phenomena.

Knowing what I know today and looking back through the rear view mirror, I realize now that all along I was looking for a communion with the Source of Creation within Myself! 

At the end of my studies in fine arts, and after 9 years of college, I fortuitously fell in love with philosophy – the love of pursuit of wisdom – a pivotal and serendipitous blessing that drove me to embark upon studying Eastern Spiritual Philosophy, a subject deeply rooted within my Persian heritage, Zen Buddhism and well defined through the disciplines of epistemology, a branch of philosophy that unravels nature, methods, and the boundaries of human knowledge. This was an endeavor that illumined and clarified my entire perspective on life and took me home to my true Self; and as Rumi puts it very eloquently: “…to my beloved, the Source of Creation.”

As a multi-discipline artist, interior designer, educator, and the Art of Self-liberation Consultant, I can now utter with full certainty that my spiritual and intellectual skills and abilities have reached a point of release. A critical point when I became aware of the Source of Creation within myself and my creativity expanded into an exploration of Life itself as an inclusive canvas of art; an art that has matured and ripened for delivery to an exclusive breed and lineage who seek personal fulfillment and clarity beyond the short-lived gratifications of the physical universe – the illusive quest of most people that is much like drinking saltwater for satiating thirst, which only exasperates the desire; a mirage that continues to beckon the unconscious toward a pool of fresh water but delivers only a barren land. 

If we define art as a form of skill and ability that expresses and produces practical, desirable and beautiful results in a given field, then life itself becomes the greatest canvas of art; an art that necessitates the inclusion of a variety of physical, sensual, spiritual, and intellectual skills and abilities to live it masterfully with joy; a state of Ecstasy* often achieved by highly creative people in the arts, sciences and sports and others.  

But here is the caveat: Ecstasy is the destination of a Heart and Soul Cleansing process, where every aspect of one’s life runs through a fine sieve and the self-erected barriers gradually fade away; a threshold that when crossed it  reveals the truth behind the concealed masks in one’s environment, and the veil of mystery over the face of Good and Evil falls off. This is when life begins to reveal its Magic with a gladdened and peaceful heart and soul!       

Soul Cleansing is a spiritual process originated deep within the Eastern Hemisphere with a backbone solidly placed in a certain discipline; an endeavor not much suited for the fainthearted or the dilettante seeker, but for the brave hearts and true seekers who desire a path of a heightened state of being, where one can transcend over his false perceptions and go through a new door in the middle of nowhere to discover and meet his very own best friend: Himself! 

It is a path strewn with many Karmic challenges to overcome and observation of rules that although not enforceable, but when broken, life becomes mysteriously punishing and at times even brutal; however, handsomely rewarding when diligently observed with integrity and the rules courageously applied.

Becoming an Art of Self-liberation Guru branched naturally as a complementary dimension to my creative work; a consultation service designed to help awaken one’s Innate Creative Forces and Abilities by hacking the roots of his/her perceived barriers to recreate life as an unfolding new work of art. 

The title Guru was given to me by those who I have helped to experience a new magic in their lives. One of the rewards of such consultations is when a new client says: I wish I had met you long time ago.

We cannot arrive at the presence of Truth before we discover and become fully acquainted with the true essence of our own being; the Spiritual Essence, the inner magic, the Source of Creation that is mysteriously trapped by the false perceptions and the foisted conditioning of the Physical Universe, desperately longing to be released.

The distilled summary of what I have said here is deeply buried within the quote below from Rumi for only the brightest minds to perceive and pursue.

With love and bliss,
Iran Lawrence

*Ecstasy: defined below.