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.

The Divine Paradox

There’s a divine paradox in life; to receive what you want you must first let it go.

Once you have a dream or desire in mind, it is already there and ready to be received. But you cannot push or pull it to you… you allow it into your life.

Receiving is allowing.

Imagine a stream of creative life energy that flows through life. If you focus too hard on any part of this stream, you stop the flow and life becomes a struggle.

Instead, match the energy of your desires and your whole Being becomes a part of the stream.  

You ‘go with the flow’.  

‘The real skill is to raise the sails and to catch the power of the wind as it passes by.’ ~ Thomas Berry

Become the essence of your dream and what you create will match this energy.

What you receive in life is a reflection of what you are Be-ing.

So it’s a delicate balance. You have the desire and intention for something, yet at the same time you are completely at ease whether you ‘have’ it or not.

When you open and allow, you receive sudden insights and synchronicities. You are in the creative flow...

Receive is the sixth step in the creative process.

Align with your dream.

The fifth step in the creative process is to align.

When you wake in the morning from nightime 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. ~ Eckhart Tolle

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.

Design a life you love.

You have a dream.

You’ve imagined the details and are clear on your goals and desires.

You make a decision to follow your dreams… And so, you need a plan.

The fourth step in the creative process is to design.

This is your dream and you can decide where you want to go, which path to take, how you want to travel and how long you want to take… You decide what you want for your life.

Design a life you love and make a Dream Plan.

A plan takes all the ideas and possibilities in your mind and begins to organize them into concrete steps and goals. A plan provides structure for your dream to take shape.

‘Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.’ ~ Napoleon Hill

Making a plan is taking action on your dreams.

A Touch of Paris on Pemberton ~ Open Studios

195 Studios will be presenting our 3rd annual 'A Touch of Paris on Pemberton' open studios during Culture Days on September 27th, 28th and 29th.

Meet 10 artists in their studios for a Parisian experience and enjoy original art in a friendly sidewalk cafe atmosphere. The artists include both painters and sculptors who employ a variety of mediums and techniques.

Our studios will be open 6 - 9 pm Friday, Sept 27th and 11 am - 5 pm Saturday and Sunday Sept 28th and 29th at 195 Pemberton Ave in North Vancouver.

The turning point.

Imagine you are on a surfboard, paddling out to sea…

In the distance you see a wave and you wonder if this is the one.

You paddle towards it...

As the wave draws nearer, looming larger and larger, you turn your board away and keep paddling. You can hear the roar of the wave coming closer and closer… You feel the energy of the wave just behind you now, about to lift you up...

And you must decide.

Will I let this one go or will I jump?

You jump… And ride the wave.

This is the turning point.

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 existance. 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.

Imagine the details.

The second step in the creative process is to imagine the details.

Secret View - Detail

Using your imagination is like playing in a sandbox.

Like castles in the sand, you can make whatever you want.

In your imagination you can be whoever and wherever you want to be. and you can do whatever you want to do…

‘There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.’ ~ G.K. Chesterton

Whatever you imagine in your mind’s eye has the potential to become real in your life. Everything is imagined into existance.

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 mind’s eye…

Using all your senses, begin to imagine what you want to create or experience in your life.

Where do you want to be? What are you doing?... Who are you with?

How are you feeling?

Just imagine...

‘Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.’ ~ Albert Einstein

The first step is to dream.

It all begins with a dream... 

Dreaming is the first step in the creative process. 

 'To make a great dream come true, you must first have a great dream.' ~ Hans Selye

Dreaming opens your mind to possibilities...

What is a dream?

A dream is like a blueprint in your mind. It is a vision or feeling sense that can be experienced as if it is 'real'.

It isn't yet tangible but it can be very powerful. 

Dreams can spark your desires, motivate and inspire you...

Where do dreams come from?

Your dreams come from your inner truth; the essence of who you are.

When you live your dreams, you live an inspired life of deeper meaning, purpose and happiness.

So listen to your dreams.

And follow your dreams... 

Coming this Fall:

Don't die with the Art still inside you.

I’ve always been creative. It’s just who I am.

But there was a time in my life when I wasn’t allowing myself to express it.

I shut it down.

I blocked it.

I stopped the flow from moving through me, out onto canvas and into the world.

And then one day I bravely signed myself up for a class to start painting again.

I really didn’t know what to expect.

I didn’t know if I would be good or not. I didn’t know if I could do it...

What I did know was that I could wait no longer.

The tiny flame inside me was still alive, though barely a flicker, and I didn’t want it to die... 

I didn't want to die with the Art still inside me. 

(part 2 next week)

"Creating is the essence of life." ~ Julius Caesar

Want to paint with me? Fall 'Back to the Studio' class special begins September 1st.

Click here for more information. 

The Known and the Unknown.

Trust.

This is what I’m thinking about as I begin my first few pencil lines on canvas...

Trust in my dreams, trust in my vision, trust in myself... Trust in the known and the unknown.

It’s just like having a baby. When the baby is finally born and you meet him or her for the first time you say, “Oh hello! Yes of course it’s you!”.

You trust as it all comes together and makes sense in the end.

So as I begin my big, new painting I have my vision clearly in mind.

I think of it often.

I imagine the completed painting... and I imagine the feeling of it completed.

It’s this feeling that ignites and inspires my progress...

It’s this feeling of the known and the unknown at the same time that drives me to create.

When I have this feeling, it is like being on an exciting adventure...

Creating a painting is like embarking on an adventure of a thousand brush strokes...