BELLVILLE — Ordained minister and Sensei Dean Williams visited the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bellville to deliver a “Zen, Jazz and the Creative Art of Everyday Living” presentation.

Using a series of quotes from famous jazz musicians and Zen masters, Williams tried to show the audience how they can attain peace and connect with a higher being by freeing their body and mind and allowing their natural creativity to flow unreservedly.

A quote by John Daido Loori, the founder and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, N.Y., expressed his point: “The creative process, like a spiritual journey, is intuitive, non-linear and experiential.”

In addition to quotes, Williams also used music to demonstrate how jazz artists have applied the Zen-like techniques of freeing themselves from rules and order to really connect with the universe and create some of their most famous masterpieces.

First Williams would sample the original music, and the version more commonly known to the crowd. Then, he would follow it with a jazz musician’s rendition of the song.

“Each artist expresses through art his or her unique way of experiencing life. This is the essence of creation. The act of creation begins with the need to express oneself,” Williams recited of Loori.

samantha.scoles@mountvernonnews.com