Jeffrey Brackett
Biography
Jeff Brackett is an artist and a religious studies professor, who is working on a book tentatively titled, Zen and the Artful Buddhist: Asperger’s, Art, and Academia. In late 2020, he learned his Asperger Syndrome profile, which radically shifted the focus of his art and research. For Jeff, Asperger’s presents itself as an ability for extreme focus, which translates into the skill to do long stints of repetitive linework, and a fierce dedication to continual refinement of his artistic tendencies. In Jeff’s case, Asperger’s used to mean living in a near-constant state of low-level anxiety. This has been radically reduced through art, daily meditation, and psychotherapy.
On his blog, he addresses questions like, “How is art-making spiritual? And what does Asperger’s have to do with any of this?” A native of Southern California with a BA in Religious Studies from UCSB, an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, Jeff Brackett has a long history of studying religious and spiritual practices. He was an art major for a year, but he soon took up another passion: the academic study of religion. Along the way, he lived in India for three consecutive years during graduate school, doing intensive language and culture studies.
Jeff is now an award-winning Religious Studies professor at Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana), where he teaches courses about Hinduism, Buddhism, World Religions, and Religion and Pop Culture. He began drawing regularly in October 2016. By 2017, he was showing his work in juried art shows and local venues. He has worked on his artistic techniques by taking college art courses in the summers, whenever possible.
In both 2021 and 2022, he won 2nd place in the avocational division of the Annual Minnetrista Juried Art Show (Muncie, Indiana), and he had a solo art exhibition in September 2021. That exhibition included several Buddhist-themed pieces, all of which integrated research with personal artistic and spiritual practice. His artwork has been featured in the local Ball State University press, both in print and video. Jeff has also published an article about his journey into art, “Mandalas, Meditation, and Mindful Mark-Making,” where he replies to the question of how spirituality plays a role in his art (“Mandalas, Meditation, and Mindful Mark-Making”; 2018, in Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies).
Most recently, his work has appeared in Spotlight: Contemporary Art Magazine (Issue 27); Art Ideal (Volume 2); and Spotlight: Contemporary Art Magazine (Issue 28; forthcoming).
In May 2022, Jeff will transition out of academia and into living as a full-time artist.
Artist Statement
Much of my emphasis on patterns and precision comes from having Asperger Syndrome, which presents itself as an ability to do repetitive line work for hours on end. Through the use of simple, repetitive ink lines, I explore the balance between calming and disorienting patterns. At times, my ink lines meander freely, creating a sense of calm. Other times, my lines are frenetic, verging on the chaotic. In each mode, I remind myself to slow down and discover complexity within simplicity.
Country United States
