Category Archives: inspirational

inspirational, life, motivational

Waiting to start living.

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A lot of people, including myself, are waiting to start living.

After the memorial service I attended yesterday, it was brought home to me that 3D life can end in a split second, so why hold on to anything?

Why not go all out and live in a way that supports, activates, thrills, and satisfies us? That is of course different for each person, but if we follow the inner lode star (as in listening to that “small still voice”) we will make choices from a point of aliveness instead of fear.

When I forget to breathe, I have lost my center. It is a vital practice to stay in one’s center for making the choices of the soul. The soul is still, yet acutely alive, while the ego is never satisfied always grasping for more. The ego wants to win big, and then bigger. Be faster, thinner, more successful. Still, that will never be enough.

The soul abides in the stillness within, and when the time is right, inspires action that is aligned with one’s highest purpose.  Here is where I stumble a lot. I’m impatient and want things to happen NOW, so I force the action. That is never aligned.  It leads to burn out and frustration.

Soul inspired action leads to enjoyment and enthusiasm. The “wanting” and the “hustle” is gone, yet a lot gets done IN ITS OWN TIME. It takes trust and dedication to live from a soul driven life.

It doesn’t matter WHAT we do, but if we choose to do things out of fear and shoulds and have-tos, we are totally missing the point.

Soul inspired action is easy and smooth. There might be hard work involved, but it doesn’t feel like hard work, more like an immersion.

I believe it’s the new way of doing “business.” To be uniquely you in all that you do, (including when you’re doing the dishes.)  Not your personality but the very essence of who you are.  It takes practice to stay in your center.

The ego will never go away, but it can be tamed to fall in with one’s true wishes as long as it understands there is no fear or danger involved.

The thing to remember and practice is to:

BE2When we live from that point life becomes an adventure. Let go, dare to live with uncertainty, be bold, truly listen within, and trust your body.

Have a creative week, folks! xo

Maria

P.S. I have some cool self-study e-courses available HERE.

creativity, inspirational, intuitive, life, motivational, purpose

What is your purpose?

What is your purpose? Mine is to be happy. How do I accomplish that? I have chosen to do things I love to do to explore my capabilities. Today’s post is a video about purpose. My goal with the video is to inspire and also make you think about what you’re doing with your life. Do you like what you’re doing?

Have a creative day!
xo

Maria

P.S. I can help you find out what you’re talented at if you don’t know. Check out my intuitive consultation offers HERE.

art, creativity, inspirational, painting

Art as energy work.

Have you noticed how art can be energy work?  It brings healing, contemplation, and speaks to our inner self. Sometimes it comes across as something repulsive, but maybe that is because it triggers something repulsive within.  Art is a mirror of our own state and that shifts all the time.

Great art is timeless. It speaks to the universal truth of self and has a much larger scope than, say, a whimsical picture of a cat. Not that I have anything against cute cats, but to feel the greatness of my own life, I can go to any art museum and immerse myself in the great art of the world.

I remember when I went to the Met in New You and saw the Impressionists. I have never seen a “real” painting by Renoir before and the light that he had captured with paint took my breath away.

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The two sisters on the terrace. Renoir.

How do you paint light?  It’s not all in the technique obviously. Somehow he pulled it out of himself and the vision of light and shadow he had was superior.

I admire different aspects of different painters, but they all have one thing in common; they never strayed far from their original style (except Picasso maybe, haha.)

My favorites are the painters of the Impressionistic style. There is an innocence and joy about the art. They captured an era when people took pleasure in the simpler things.  Much of the modern art has such hard edges that speak of our harsher more stressful times.

I like to go up to art at a museum and feel entranced, not disturbed. Yet, honest art speaks the truth about the times we live in and it’s not all milk and roses.  Far from it.

One time when I was an art student a friend and I got a wild hair and spread open an umbrella at a museum of modern art. We stuck it on the floor with a tag that said “Umbrella.”  People stopped and looked at it, walked all around it, pondering.  We thought we were very clever.

Then a guard discovered the abnormality and the game ended abruptly.  It was fun though. That brings up the question: what is art? That is a discussion that can go on forever.

Personally, I like to be blown away when I go to view art.

I can only aspire to have people like my own art, and some really do. I guess my mission is accomplished if one person likes my art. All is good!

This concludes Day 8 of the 30 day blog challenge.

What are you working on today? What beauty are you bringing out to the world?

xo

Maria

P.S. I have some beautiful art for sale in my etsy shop. 😉  HERE.

art, inspirational, life, motivational, passion, self help

Raining on your parade?

Lots of people like to rain on your parade, but nothing new there, right? It’s all in how we allow it to affect us.

So many artists say that they get a lot of negative feedback about their choice of career.  This affects their self-confidence, but it doesn’t have to. If they feel passionate about art they need to stand tall and make the decision that no matter what, they are not going to cave to other people’s opinions.

The choice is about who you hang out with. If we have low self-confidence we hang with people who put us down.

A boost to your self-confidence: DITCH the people who put you down.

If you feel heavy and anxious around them, they don’t belong in your universe. Simple, right?

My dad used to say when I came up with some good idea;
“that will never work,” with sarcasm in his voice.  I proved him wrong a number of times, to his surprise.

DITCH the people who hog all the attention all the time and those who are envious of your progress.  They never followed their dream, but you don’t have to drink their poison.  Ditch the angry people.

The friends who only show up when they want something from you BECAUSE they know you did all the research already (on your own.)

People who make you feel angry for no obvious reason. Those are the “needle-nose” manipulators.

People who drain your energy in a sneaky nebulous manner. I call them the “black hole vampires.”  They don’t have a life, only a black hole.

I DO feel compassion for people’s predicaments, but there comes a time when you have to make a choice. Do they stay or do they go?

If you don’t make the choice someone else will. You don’t want an energy vampire to choose what you do with your energy, right?

Hang out with those who cheer you on and uplift you in every way.  If you don’t have such connections, find some.  Find some friends who are passionate about their own lives.

As an artist you let your vulnerability hang out for all to see via your art, and the beauty of your vision feeds their soul. Being vulnerable is your offering to the world, so don’t let anyone rain your parade!

  • Know your worth (as a person and artist) and if you feel that yours tips toward minus on the scale, find a way to remedy that.
  • Know that if you get lots of criticism and “hate” comments, you’re doing something right. 🙂
  • Don’t worry about others and their feelings, follow your passion. You’re not hurting anyone.
  • You are responsible for how you feel and how you take criticism. Try not to take it personally and don’t allow DRAMA into your life.
  • Don’t argue or try to prove yourself.  Just smile like Mona Lisa and carry on.

Passion grows and nothing can stand in its way. That is the power of passion.  You’re in it for the ride.

Create with passion today!

xo

Maria

P.S. I could use an art sale from my etsy shop if you feel so inspired.  Check ’em out HERE.

art, inspirational, life, motivational, self help, transformation

Patience is a virtue.

Patience is a virtue is an old-fashioned saying, but one that is truly vital to a good life experience. It is as relevant now as it was in ye olden times.  I looked for the saying in Bartlett’s but could not find any reference to it. There were however lots of references to the word “virtue,” as in females who lost their virtue basically lost everything. That is a whole other post.

This is day 3 of my 30 day blogging challenge.

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Patience

Patience, when practiced, gives us pause to be present and allow things to unfold.  We live in a “take charge” world so it’s not easy to release that insistent pattern and allow patience in.  One place to practice patience is while driving in heavy traffic.  Another is when someone bugs the crap out of you and you just want to leave the room or slug them.

To allow oneself to be patient is to open up to new possibilities and to be vulnerable.  I don’t have to be right. I can allow others to step ahead or be right. That can be tough since the tendency is to always want to be right.  We proclaim that loudly and ferociously.

Patience and art are kind of the same thing, if gentler.  It can be uncomfortable to sit with the art that is going nowhere and see what unfolds (if anything.) If it doesn’t what holds you back?

I ask that question of myself all the time because more often than not I meet that old specter “Resistance” when I venture into my studio.

Patience allows the moment of NOW to unfold and show where the art wants to go.  But I want to hang out of my “virtual car window” and yell at the art to get a move on.  So, if I had infinite patience, I would:

  • be able to see the spirit of my art and where it wants to go.
  • allow more.
  • be patient with people in every situation.
  • be patient with situations that need solutions and see what genius idea might come up instead of barging in and fixing things or people.
  • know that my turn will come at the right moment. Trusting.
  • be able to relax and stay in relaxation.

On a larger world scale:

  • there would be no wars since all people would slow down and see what is really going on.
  • people would take the time to go within and experience their inner life since there is no need for stress and hurry.
  • people would slow down enough to see the value in everyone else and want a harmonious relationship with their neighbor–and nature.
  • people would not chase after money like crazy since patience might unfold better ways of dealing in the world and make money that is based on respect for self and others. That is a personal experience, but what if everyone was doing it?
  • Patience would show everyone the true value of life since there would be no rat race.

Let’s all wake up and start looking through the eyes of patience.

I know something holds me back from fully allowing and letting go.  It is my fearful mind, the one that says “be cautious” don’t give it all away.  Hold back…showing vulnerability is me coming from a point of weakness. If I let it “all hang out” I might get punished.

That is bullshit that old experiences created.  Fear to be oneself and live out loud.

What to do about it?

Sit with whatever it is and wait for some inspiration, or take some action that is contrary to the status quo.  Patience is doing the right thing at the right time.

Patience always leads to inspired action but it will always challenge the go-go-go tendency we have.

Splash some mad color over the art and then wait and see where that leads.  Experiment while practicing patience and there will be an opening, a step forward (probably not some action you expected.)

That is how art moves in a new direction and you follow the lead. Trust your gut and let it all hang out!!  Yeah.

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Fearless

Create something today! Don’t waste this day of possibility. Cruising Facebook is not worth it. 🙂

xo

Maria

P.S. I offer 1-on-1 coaching using my psychic abilities and help you set up a plan of action for more creativity in your life.  It’s not all about art, it’s about a better life experience.  CLICK HERE.

art, creativity, inspirational, life, nature

Hundred percent nature.

I am hundred percent nature, and so are you.  Day 2 of the 30 day blogging challenge.

I get a lot of inspiration for my art in nature.  Every form, color, and impression can be found there.  Basically, it’s all outside and all in my mind. Mind in this case would be imagination.

There is a difference between imagination and fantasy.  Imagination is a way to travel through time and space whereas fantasy is something, some item or scenario, we wish we had.

Imagination is accessible to everyone.  Have you ever tried to connect with metaphysical nature?

virginia-live-oak-440351__180
Live oak

All you  have to do is to be willing and ask for a connection, say, to a tree you like. Then you have to be still and listen. That is often the hardest part. You can ask the tree questions and you might get a sense of an answer as an impression, or a thought, like a revelation.  Nature will use your imagination to communicate.

It can be quite an adventure to work with nature. The God of Nature is Pan. He has gotten a bad rap with the horns and the cloven feet in history, but he has a very high, pure, yet earthy vibe. This morning I asked him which part of nature to work with and he said: “there is no part of nature that is not you.  You are all nature, nothing else, so there is no separation.”

Consciousness is the spirit part we also share with nature besides our physical manifestation in the world. His simple words were profound.  I am all water, minerals, other matter, and spirit. Most of the time, I feel separate, but that is the mind, the chatterbox upstairs that doesn’t like to be silent and just BE.

When I AM I do feel the connection without beginning or end.

Modern people are often afraid of nature.  All they see is the challenge; the bugs, the “dangerous” wildlife that carries all sorts of diseases, the creepy crawlies on the ground.  How many times do you interact or touch, say, a raccoon or possum?  Pretty much never, so why the fear?  It’s the programming we receive. Living a fearful antiseptic and sterile life to shut out any connection with the “earthy” part of life equals a deep lack of something.  A bit of earthiness will not harm you as any farmer will tell you.

A connection with nature is healthy, natural, and healing. No reason to deprive oneself of that. Concrete buildings and streets are not as conducive to communing with nature even if the energy is present everywhere.

What does nature have to do with art?

Since art originates from within, it’s totally part of me, and since I’m one with nature, art IS nature.  I don’t have to go to the park and paint a tree, but by feeling into my inner self, how does a particular tree feel like? I can paint that feeling. It might not end up looking like a tree, but the energy will be there.

DSCN1848
energy art journaling

Communing with nature is a truly exciting journey. It is inspiring and inner growth inducing. That can be uncomfortable, but it’s even more uncomfortable to live with all the hang-ups we carry around.

Nature is free and filled with inspiration.  Art is free and nature can be like a vitamin injection to one’s inner life, which then shows up on the canvas or in the art journal.

Nature wants to work with you!  Bring a new level to your art?  The sky’s the limit as they say.  It’s up to you. 🙂

Many creative blessings flying your way today.

xo

Maria

P.S. Please buy one of my art offerings on etsy! Makes a great gift to yourself or someone special.  🙂  HERE.