On February 13th Maitreyabandhu will host the international launch of the Life With Full Attention app with an 8 week online and in person course at the London Buddhist Centre. For the first time, this life-changing course, based on Maitreyabandhu’s book of the same name, will be accompanied by an app that’s been specifically designed to support those taking part. The course will also be running simultaneously at Buddhist Centres in Berlin, Barcelona, London, and New York.We are delighted to share with you some insights from its creation.
Art by Rachael BallMaitrinara, Men’s Mitra Convenor at Brixton Sangha, first had the idea of an app whilst on retreat. In conversation with Kat Stephens who specialises in User Experience (UX) they began what would be a truly collaborative process spanning almost three years.Maitrinara approached FutureDharma for funding, and once granted, pulled together a core team of dynamic dharmic individuals. Maitrinara took the lead as project manager, Kat on UX and app design, Alex Bermingham on design and branding, Jack Cooper on audio and video, and of course Maitreyabandhu lent his voice for recordings and poetry as well as keeping an overall eye on progress. The project grew organically with each member of the team's unique skills harmoniously blending together as more people got involved. This collaborative FutureDharma project was in partnership with Windhorse Publications, The Sikkha Project and The Buddhist Centre Online to ensure the vision was fully realised. This was a particularly significant union as not only did FutureDharma fund the app, our donors significantly contribute to the support of all three organisations.
Art by Alex BerminghamIt was essential for the app to reflect Maitreyabandhu’s vision. A life with full attention meaning ‘more’... more life, more adventure, more mystery, creativity, beauty, art, poetry…What might it be like if you chose to claim your life?In his role leading on design and branding Alex Bermingham brought in a team talented in the fine-arts from around the Triratna Sangha who generously gave their time and artworks for free. These artists included; Bex Arthur, Elena Blanco, Rachael Ball and Tom Clohosey Cole, as well as Alex himself. Alex was keen to ensure the app appealed to as many people as possible and so focused on strong imagery, unconventional tonal elements, contrasting patterns and textures, a bold sans serif script and a logo which brought the word LIFE into maximum impact.
Art by Bex ArthurWithout imagination, dedication and collaboration we would not have this powerful app to compliment Maitreyabandhu’s book and course. The Life with Full Attention course is a long-standing and well known intro course at many Triratna centres across the country. It is often the first material a beginner will come into contact with when they cross the threshold into a class. We can all probably remember that first step in our Triratna journey where we opened our eyes to a life of mystery, truth, adventure, and imagination.
You can download the app for free here.
With special thanks to Windhorse Publications, The Sikkha Project and The Buddhist Centre Online.
