A Studio Video Tour
A made a little video tour of my studio, sharing my art, projects and creative process...
A made a little video tour of my studio, sharing my art, projects and creative process...
I created this video as a recipient of the FANS (Fund for the Arts on the North Shore) 25th Anniversary Grant Program, At Home with NS Artists. A special thank you to FANS for their support.
Soul Art® ~ Transitioning the Transition
It’s the middle of summer, in the middle of the year 2020, I’m in-between paintings and projects… And it feels like a good time for a Soul Art Journey.
I had a friend join me in my studio and we went through the process together. I’m calling this session, Transitioning the Transition, as we both travel along through our in-between worlds…
It’s the middle of summer, in the middle of the year 2020, I’m in-between paintings and projects… And it feels like a good time for a Soul Art® Journey.
I had a friend join me in my studio and we went through the process together. I’m calling this session, Transitioning the Transition, as we both travel along through our in-between worlds… (letting go of the old to make way for the new).
We set aside an afternoon (and later, some food and wine!) and got creating!
Soul art is a five step process that involves setting an intention, body mapping, creating your art, dialoguing with your art, and a spirit action. Here’s just a little video sample from our day:
Soul Art® is a unique creative process that acts like a bridge to your spirit, revealing your inner truth and providing clarity, insight and deep transformation.
Please contact me if you’re interested in a Soul Art® journey (either in studio or virtually) or if you’d like more information. I’ll be putting together a new program or course in future (depending on interest).
The State of Creation
These days it's easy to get swept away with all the external happenings in the world around us... To become fearful of the unknown and to have so many changes thrust upon us...
So now I find it even more important to steal myself away for a few hours of studio time (or nature time!) to keep myself feeling somewhat normal in this fast-changing world.
These days it's easy to get swept away with all the external happenings in the world around us... To become fearful of the unknown and to have so many changes thrust upon us...
So now I find it even more important to steal myself away for a few hours of studio time (or nature time!) to keep myself feeling somewhat normal in this fast-changing world.
I've always felt as if I'm living in two worlds... One I don't have much control over (only in how I respond to it), and the other world is my own inner world where I can choose what I want to experience and surround myself with... (but the two are also connected and the one operates within the other). The inner world and the outer world...
How can art transform us?
There are two states of mind; one is based on survival and one is based on creation.
Survival is fear-based. When we're in this state we feel separated and disconnected. We're concerned with the ego self, which is judgemental and analytical. We see things as ‘out there’ and separate from us. This is the critical mind. When we're living in this state we're unable to grow and create.
When we're in the creative state we're feeling love, joy and inspiration. We feel connected and whole. Time and space disappear... We become Self-less. The ego moves out of the way. This is our natural state of BEing...
Art is a way to bring you into the present moment. You move into a place where you forget your problems, time disappears... Your energy moves from your head to your heart.
“When you are so in love with life and what you’re creating, then you’re in your natural state of being. ”
The more you experience this state, the more your body (your subconscious mind) recognizes it as You... and you begin to grow this new way of Being.
This is how art transforms us. It brings us into the present moment where we experience ourselves as whole Beings. The more we can be in this state, the more we increase these higher feelings of love, joy and inspiration. We're able to grow and re-create ourselves and our lives.
“The secret to art is love.”
And perhaps the secret to love is art...
Creating space for transformation...
The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you’re able to let life meet life. If you’re having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down...
Lilies of the Woods, oil on canvas, 36” x 36”
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ”
The world is a little quieter these days (at least, my world is). There's still a steady buzz of traffic outside (but much less!), and more cyclists and pedestrians everywhere it seems... But the drive from A to B is less focused on the A and B, and more on the drive itself. Even standing in a line-up to get into a store has become a new activity. Like going for a walk... It's more about the walk and less about the destination. (You know you'll get there eventually).
In some ways life is changing at an incredible speed... Yet ironically, day to day life feels slower.
Feeling impatient won't get us there sooner, so we might as well enjoy the walk.
I'm using this time to clean up, clear out, and simplify.
“The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you’re able to let life meet life. If you’re having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down …Creativity exists in the present moment. You can’t find it anywhere else.”
Every year I choose a "Word for the Year" and this year it took me some time to choose my word. I had a feeling early on (since last Fall) that this year would be different (but I had no idea how much!). I eventually chose the word 'transformation'. I don't really know why, other than it felt right for this upcoming, big year of change.
So now that I've cleared space (in my mind and my surroundings), I'm going to take the opportunity to create some Soul Art®!
Soul Art® is a unique creative process that acts as a bridge to your spirit, revealing your inner truth and providing clarity, insight and deep transformation.
(You can read more about how Soul Art helps me as an artist here).
Seven tips to help you transition...
"Infinite patience creates immediate results."
I think of this every time I start a new drawing on canvas. I have the finished painting already in my mind... But I still have to go through the creative process to get there. Holding the vision has to be enough for now…
“Infinite patience creates immediate results.”
I think of this every time I start a new drawing on canvas. I have the finished painting already in my mind... But I still have to go through the creative process to get there. Holding the vision has to be enough for now.
And just enjoy the process.
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and with that one, is what we are doing.”
Focussing on the present, it becomes more about the journey than the outcome.
It's the same for anything new I'm creating in my life... It's called transitioning the transition and I've written a few tips to help with the process...
PS ~ Find out where You are in Life's Cycle of Creativity... Take the Quiz!
Water Lilies and Why I Paint
There are lots of reasons why I paint.
I paint because I have an over-whelming desire to create; to have a sense of creative discovery is deeply satisfying. Every painting is a new adventure...
Water Lilies, 36" x 36", oil on canvas
There are lots of reasons why I paint.
I paint because I have an overwhelming desire to create; to have a sense of creative discovery is deeply satisfying. Every painting is a new adventure...
I paint because it's fun. Making art is sometimes just pure, playful fun! And that's healthy...
And therapeutic. When I'm painting, time disappears and I can let go of all the noise of the outside world. I'm in my world now... I never feel depleted after a full days work in the studio.
I paint because I'm very visual and constantly noticing the colours and shapes in the world around me... And I want to express what I see and experience.
I painted Water Lilies purely as an expression of the beauty and tranquility of one of my favourite places... a little pond in the woods in Norway where all you hear are the birds singing and the wind whistling through the trees...
Beauty makes my heart sing.
And sometimes, all I want to do is paint a pretty picture.
Painting Lilies and the Creative Process
When I create a painting it’s just like creating anything in life. It begins with a vision; an idea...
I imagine the details... The size of the canvas, the colours and feeling sense I want to create…
From Ethereal to Real; The Seven Steps of the Creative Process
Dream ~ Connect to your true heart's desire.
Imagine ~ Imagine the details.
Decide ~ Make a commitment.
Design ~ Make a plan.
Align ~ Align with your dream.
Receive ~ Receive insights.
Express ~ Live your dream.
When I create a painting it’s just like creating anything in life. It begins with a vision; an idea...
I imagine the details... The size of the canvas, the colours and feeling sense I want to create…
And then I decide.
I buy my materials and take action to begin...
I start with a drawing on canvas, mapping it out and creating a structure for the painting.
As I begin to draw and paint I get to know my painting… Aligning with my vision.
There comes a point when I no longer ‘think’ about what I am creating and it becomes an intuitive process. The painting paints itself.
It becomes its own unique expression.
“The goal of art was the vital expression of self.”
The final step in the creative process is the expression.
What was once a vision in your mind’s eye is now visible in your life. What was once a dream is now real.
You can download the 7 Steps from Ethereal to Real, part one from the Little Book of Big Dreams here.
Align With Your Dream
Dreams and goals all begin as an idea that, once planted and nurtured. begins to grow and blossom in its own unique way. From ethereal to real it becomes 'real' through a natural, creative process that I call a Dream Journey...
Dreams and goals start as ideas that, once planted and nurtured, begin to grow and blossom in their own unique way. A dream becomes 'real' through a natural, creative process that I call a Dream Journey.
The Magic Pillow
There are seven steps on this journey... (Read step one here)
This week I'm writing about the fifth step in the creative process ~ Align with your dream.
When you wake in the morning from night-time dreams, you know and understand that the dream does not exist outside of yourself. Your dream comes from you.
Your dream is you…
All dreams exist as energy in the unseen world and you ‘see’ and experience them on another level of existance. To make your dreams ‘real’ requires aligning with this energy and acting as if what you imagine already exists.
What you dream and imagine comes from your essence. When you follow your dreams, you are saying “yes!” to your truth and who you really are. You trust that your dreams and desires are what your spirit wants to express in the world. As you align with your dreams you begin tapping into the creative flow of life.
“When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.”
When you are in alignment, you become ‘whole’ in all areas of your life. There is no more separation between the inside and the outside. Your life becomes a true expression of You.
When you align with your dream, you are in alignment with who you truly are.
You can download the 7 Steps from Ethereal to Real, part one from the Little Book of Big Dreams here
Make a Decision
The decision is the point between intention and action. When you make a decision you move the flow of energy and possibility into focused direction.
Making a decision is the third step in the creative process...
The decision is the point between intention and action. When you make a decision you move the flow of energy and possibility into focused direction.
Making a decision is the third step in the creative process.
When you have a dream, vision or goal in mind, there comes a point when you must decide. You can let the idea roll on by, or you make a decision and act.
When you have an idea, it’s already real on one level of existence. The more you think about it, imagine it, and play with it in your mind… the more energy it gathers and begins to take form.
Once you take action, you’ve made a commitment and all the energy of possibility is summoned forth and given direction.
The decision is the turning point between idea and action.
Download the 7 Steps from Ethereal to Real, part one from the Little Book of Big Dreams here
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
The second step is to imagine...
Life isn’t always pretty.
It isn’t always fun, exciting or even comfortable...
So thank goodness for the imagination!
The second step in the creative process is to imagine the details...
Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. ~ John Lennon
Life isn’t always pretty.
It isn’t always fun, exciting or even comfortable...
So thank goodness for the imagination!
The second step in the creative process is to imagine the details...
“Imagination is the highest form of research.”
Using your imagination is like playing in a sandbox; you can make whatever you want…
Sand is malleable.
In your imagination you can be wherever you want to be and you can do whatever you want to do…
Your imagination is real. Whatever you imagine in your mind’s eye has the potential to become real in your life. Everything is imagined into existence.
Once you have a dream or vision of what you want to create, begin imagining the details…
You don’t have to figure it all out. You need only play with it in your imagination…
Just imagine...
“Visualise this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.”
Download the 7 Steps from Ethereal to Real, part one from the Little Book of Big Dreams here