Callum Mintzis is a composer, performer, educator, psychotherapist and writer.
His work is informed by a deep love for the world around him, and the people in it. He considers his longstanding meditation practice, of which he begun at the age of seven, as foundational to his outlook on life. Informed by the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, Taoism and other wisdom traditions, he values love, beauty and interconnectedness. He humbly recognises the necessity of human suffering as an avenue to better understanding our lives, and perpetually regards himself as a beginner - a student who does not wish to preach or assert. He believes his teachers to be everyone and everything, from the trees and birds to brief interactions with passing strangers.
He is also the custodian of Lim Meng Sing (Peter Lim), PhD, a poet and writer whose work has deeply explored the principles of Zen, Taoism and living from the heart.
Personal Life
Callum grew up in Melbourne, Australia. At a very young age, he became interested in meditation. As a child, he routinely asked himself questions such as “who am I?” and “what is it to be alive?” He felt very connected to nature, animals, and something much bigger than himself. As a young boy, he decided he wanted to be a writer, and pledged that he would try to have as many experiences as possible. He felt that he could only write from an authentic place if he had actually experienced what the characters had. This commitment, he believes, begun opening him to the richness and mystery of the world.
As he continued into his teens, he became interested in music and philosophy. He became obsessed with Zen, Taoism, and Tibetan Buddhism - most notably through the work of Alan Watts. This period preceded a series of heartbreaking, world‑shattering experiences that further broke his assumptions and became the catalyst for his work, revealing a different way of understanding the world.
Heartbreak showed him that instead of some abyss of emptiness, pain actually expresses love - and further, that all human beings experience suffering.
Psychotherapy
Callum is currently completing his Master of Psychotherapy & Counselling at the Cairnmillar Institute. His interest in being a psychotherapist was born of his reckoning with difficult, heartbreaking experiences and the insights of compassion. His first placement was at Doncare Family Violence Clinic, where he worked mainly with victim survivors of domestic abuse. He is currently completing his second placement at Mingary-Cairnmillar on Collins Street, Melbourne CBD.
