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Welcome to Jan Parker Arts!

Web sites are just another part of our daily life it seems, and my guess is this isn’t the first site you have ever been to. So like they said on answering machines back in the 80’s. “you know what to do”. Click around, read the articles, gather information, enjoy the photos, buy something.

I am hoping this web site will be a lot like my Tai Chi classes and my glass beads, ever changing, fun and interactive.

There are two branches to this site. Internal Arts and Glass Arts. I hope you visit both sites. I was told that if someone read this far – I was lucky, so I’ll say thank you right away and if your attention just wandered – click around and look at another page, there are lots of them. If you want to know more, read on.

Each week, I'll do my best to write a short story (blog like) and post it under Jan's Notebook. I hope you bookmark this site and visit often. There are also some interesting and insightful writings that some of my students around North America have shared under The Student Writes, enjoy! I'm interested in your comments, questions and insights on your practice as well. Please contact me at jan@janparkerarts.com

Now, before I go on, I want to thank John, Hansoo and Prashanth at Arkiom. I think they have put together the best web site in the world for me! I am grateful. Thanks!

The latest news

I'm excited to announce a JanJimJam project, The Push Hands Reference Video CD.  Jim Madras and I put these short films together to serve as reference for the barehand partner work of the Yang Curriculum. If you are a serious student of the Yang curriculum, this is a must have reference tool.

Now for a bit about me.

I live on Bowen Island in BC where I practice, and I play, and I teach martial arts, healing arts, and glass arts.

Melting glass into beads and then sitting among them as I sort the colours, sizes and shapes for bracelets, pens, and then a few for my pocket brings pure joy to my heart. Each bead is made with love and a smile. When I sit at the torch to make glass beads and when I play Tai Chi I understand more and more about change. The great thing about change is that we don't need to search for it or "work at it". It happens naturally. Every moment I spend making beads, or playing and teaching tai chi, proves again and again to me how fortunate I am to have the life I have.

I have a sign in my office that says, "You either practiced today or you didn’t." That is my reality. Sure, discipline is important to building any practice, and I also find that being rigid closes my heart and dampens my spirit. To keep these arts alive in me, I ask myself often why I do what I do. That question keeps my work, my day and my life interesting. Because each day, the answer is different. I love having fresh eyes and a good foundation. They are the heart and soul of any art.  Tai Chi and lampworking are my arts of choice. And as with any art, I see I am required to let go of a set of pre-determined instructions and allow what is authentic in me to shine through. I strive to combine innovation with tradition in both of these practices.
 
As in art, so in this web site - I look forward to working with this web site with the involvement of students and friends to create a vehicle for exploration, information and fun. Keep checking back for new articles, stories and of course beautiful baubles!


Sincerely,
Jan Parker