Blindfulness explores vision loss, identity, and awareness from the inside of the experience itself. This page provides resources for media, collaborators, and event organisers.
Press Release
A Journey Into Blindness, Awareness, and Resilience: Blindfulness by Earl Zapf
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand – March 2026
What happens when the world you’ve always relied on begins to disappear?
In Blindfulness: The Blind Leading the Blind – A Travel Guide from the Land of the Sighted to the Country of the Blind, Hawke’s Bay artist, meditator, and writer Earl Zapf offers a deeply personal and unflinching account of his journey into vision loss.
More than a memoir, Blindfulness is an exploration of identity, perception, and what it means to truly see.
After more than 20 years of mindfulness practice and a lifetime as a visual artist, Zapf was diagnosed with myopic macular degeneration, leading to rapid and progressive vision loss. Rather than turning away from the experience, he turned toward it, using mindfulness, reflection, and creative insight to navigate the terrain of blindness.
“You can’t always choose the circumstances you find yourself in… but you can choose how you meet them.” Blindfulness invites readers into that meeting point.
Blending memoir, philosophy, and practical insight, the book challenges common assumptions about blindness and disability. It speaks not only to those experiencing vision loss, but also to anyone facing change, uncertainty, or grief. With clarity and honesty, Zapf explores anticipatory grief, the reshaping of identity, and the subtle ways perception extends beyond sight.
Alongside the book release, Zapf is also developing the Blindfulness Project, an initiative aimed at bringing mindfulness practices to the blind and vision-impaired community
About the Author
Earl Zapf is a Hawke’s Bay-based artist, mindfulness practitioner, and writer. After more than 20 years of meditation practice and a lifetime working as a visual artist, he began losing his sight due to myopic macular degeneration.
His work explores the intersection of blindness, awareness, and identity, offering a grounded and personal perspective on navigating a world that is increasingly unseen.
Key Topics & Talking Points
- Blindness as a shift in perception, not just loss
- Anticipatory grief and identity transformation
- Mindfulness as a practical tool in times of change
- Living with uncertainty and adapting to vision loss
Images
Media Contact
Earl Zapf
blindfulnessthebook@gmail.com
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