Painting Lilies and the Creative Process

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.

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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.”

— Alfred Stieglitz

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.

The Final Step

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.

I allow it to become it’s own unique expression.

‘This world is but a canvas for our imagination.’ ~ Henry David Thoreau

Express is the seventh step of the creative process.

Your life is an expression of You.

When you live the essence of your dream, your life and dreams are created from the inside out. What you express is what you are.

'My painting is like no other. It is an expression from my spirit and soul. It is who I really am.' ~ Billie F. Mathis

What was once a vision in your mind’s eye is now visible in your life. What was once a dream is now real.

choreographing art

So many times I find myself saying, "Painting is like life..."

I had this realization again the other day as I was meticulously drawing an image on canvas. My artist friend next door had just shown me her new painting - a figurative expression on canvas that she completed in two or three hours. I was feeling a little envious as I went back to my drawing (I'd been working on it for a week!) - But as I worked and got back into my drawing, I thought about how much I love what I do. I love my own unique creative process.

I like a challenge. I need a challenge. A challenge keeps me focussed and engaged... otherwise I feel bored and a little impatient. 

Each painting begins with an overall vision that I create first in my mind and then map out onto canvas... It can be a long process. It can take months for a large canvas from beginning to end as I work through my step-by-step process.

I can compare it with dancing. There are many ways to dance. We can dance purely free-style, expressing through our bodies in the moment, or we can dance a choreographed sequence that is a much longer process to create. Both are expressions.

My paintings are choreographed works of art. For me this is a deeper process and involves much more of me. But it brings me so much satisfaction. 

So as in painting, as in life... I realized I'm a choreographer (and yes, I do love ballroom dancing).

What is your expression? What is your process?