Playful. Profound. Meditative. Deeply healing. Moving from Emptiness: The Life and Art of a Zen Dude is more than just a film, it’s a transformational experience. The film begins with an exploration of creativity. Where does it come from? Zen calligraphic painter Alok Hsu Kwang-han proposes that it arises from emptiness, from that silent space that houses the intelligence prior to thought. Armed with rice paper, ink, brush, and a collection of Zen teachings and koans, he unlocks a magical door for his students. According to Alok, he teaches painting “by not teaching painting.” Instead he shows students how to get out of their own way so that “creativity happens by itself.”