Category Archives: inspirational

art, inspirational, intuitive, life, nature

I joined a 30 day blog writing challenge.

June 7, 2016 Maria G

Yes, I joined, gasp. What was I thinking?

I love to write, but having to come up with interesting posts every day is not easy. I do love to inspire where I can, so expect to see some inspirational posts and art of course.

Life is truly about following one’s dreams and that is what I’m doing, but I have found that my dream is morphing into something slightly different. I love art and art classes that expand my skills and imagination. Art is a constant exploration, not a fixed “dream” per se. Being immersed in art is being inside the dream, so it’s process. Nothing new there but sometimes I look at art as something concrete and inflexible.

In the nineties I was obsessed with communicating with nature and learning about flower essences. I lived in Upstate New York at the time and then I moved to Florida and all that work went by the wayside. I have not had the same connection with Florida nature since it’s very different. Think savage and tough to survive the heat. Lots of prickly and biting things, but every landscape has its own beauty.

I have always been fascinated with the metaphysical aspects of nature.

Have you ever stopped by a tree and felt its presence? Why are we drawn to certain areas of nature but not others? It is an intuitive reaction and the body might feel more comfortable by the beach than in the mountains.

Working with nature metaphysically takes patience and stillness. The challenge is to still the mind and be in the present. All of nature lives in the present, so the gateway is NOW. The more we practice being in the moment of now, the more open we become to energies.

I believe the destruction of nature will end if people become aware of the beautiful life force of everything. We won’t be so eager to do, make, and use things that destroy.

Since I’m aware that nature is highly intelligent and a totally AWARE Being and WANTS to work with us, I feel it’s only right that I endeavor to inspire others to grow that connection Nature can help us with every aspect of life. Nature spirits are not a myth, but they only exist on the inner plane, though people have seen them. They can appear as any form. 🙂

Next time you go out in nature, pick out a tree that seems friendly or any other plant. Take a deep breath to still yourself and see if you can tune into the energy of the plant. It might surprise you. The energy is usually loving and fun.

That would be a first step to connecting with nature. If you don’t feel anything, keep trying. It can take some time so practice the connection. If you can, go to the same plant each time. You can also use a house plant.

How does this connect to art? Art is energy and if I were to translate nature’s energy into art, it would be mostly colors in an abstract way for me. I believe we recognize the energy that flows through everything and that’s why we like good art.

All for now. More tomorrow about the wonders of nature and other things. 🙂

I wish you a creative week!!

Maria

P.S. I have three evergreen mixed media art e-courses available for self study. CLICK HERE.

art, art journaling, creativity, inspirational, muse, resistance, writing

The muse is a fickle b*itch.

May 31, 2016 Maria G

The muse never was very trustworthy in my opinion. None of them. No wonder they are mythical (as if we can trust anything the ancients dreamed up, archetypes or not.) Some might argue they exist on another plane of energy, but for the most part they are not for hire.

In the past I paid homage to the Literary Muse, and she would strike inconsistently and then crack the whip until you stayed up all night to write and your fingers bled. Then she would be suspiciously absent for loooong periods of time. But no matter what, I wrote.

Nowadays if she shows up I give her a token eye roll and say I AM not for hire any longer, so there. Go find another victim.

However, sometimes I think I have to pay homage to my art muse who is more often than not totally absent, day or night.

I also have to pay a price for her to show up.

*I have to dance naked at midnight in my backyard first Sunday of the month and sing off-tune songs until my neighbor calls the police.

* I have to offer up my first child as a sacrifice. It’s lucky I don’t have any kids, but then again, my muse gives me the cold shoulder because of this.

*I have to eat raw kale for breakfast every morning (not a problem since I often put that in my green smoothie, na-na-na-nana.

*I have to spend $$$$$$$ on all the latest art tools and pay homage to all of the art teachers out there who offer torturous lengthy courses that make you feel like crap if you don’t finish all the assignments. And you never do.

*The muse always reminds me that I’m never “deep” enough in my art. In fact, I skim the surface of drek and I’m too happy about it. 🙂

So, what do you do when the muse is absent? Tell her to never show up because you don’t need her sorry ass.

You go in to your studio every day even if your body sends out the “fight or flight” signal.

You wrangle that art journal that can never lie quite flat and slam your fist into the page just to show who is the boss.

The unseen barrier of resistance that the evil studio fairies wove while you slept last night is thick over the empty pages. Is that a spiderweb over there in the corner? And who glued the pages together?

Ah yes, I did.

You look over the paints and with a sigh you decide, “what the heck, I might as well slap on some purple and green paint down and go from there.”

Every brush stroke is a pain. The paint decides to spurt out in a great big glob or even leak from the bottom. So you smear that sh*t all over the page. Now that page looks like a Rothko painting… Maybe you could sell it as such on eBay, you think for $$$$. Con-woman thoughts aside, why did Rothko always paint the same thing??

His muse must have been nuts or she avoided him altogether with the excuse that she doesn’t do horizontal lines.

Anyway, you sit with your Rothko art journal page and decide it’s not interesting enough so you start doodling in pink neon color or slap some brightly colored washi tape down. Much better already. Things are still similar to slogging through mud, but you persist.

And then suddenly you see a face in the mess on the paper, and find joy in adding some features.

After that some more doodling commences and all is well. In the end, you created a piece of art and all is good. All in the face of the muse who tried to actually distract you with everything else except art. (Yes, I totally blame the muse.)

Art without the muse becomes an exploration to see what you’re made of. Either you give in to the resistance and go clean the kitchen, or you slog through the barrier and find what is on the other side.

It’s the only way to approach art and get something done. (For me anyway.) Otherwise, I suspect the kitchen would be spotless and the studio full of dust.

Do you have balls enough to push through?

Only by doing will you find out. Make it a habit and give the muse the boot if she dares to show up (late.) You don’t need her because you already had the commitment down.

You don’t need the muse because you have your own voice and inner wisdom. That is enough!

Lots of daring and determination to ya!

Maria

P.S. if you want to spend some hard earned cash on art, please visit my etsy shop HERE.

creativity, doubt, fear, inspirational, passion, process

Doubt is what holds us back.

May 27, 2016 Maria G

I have no doubt that doubt holds us back from achieving our dreams.

Dreams can be elusive, and you might have a vague idea of what your dream is about. If you have an inkling that is GOOD! So many people don’t have any idea of what their dream or passion is.

Achieving a dream can be fraught with doubt and other pitfalls, but the easy part is to JUST START where you are now. Say you want to be an accomplished painter and you know you feel great when you paint, but something holds you back.

Fear create doubts. “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t paint well enough.” “I never went to art school so I can’t be a painter.” “People don’t approve.”

Sounds familiar? But who cares? When you start something, you might not have any idea of where you’re going, but buy some art supplies that appeal to you. (Most likely, you already have some dusty stuff hidden in the closet.) Dust that stuff off and bring it back out.

start-1093914__180 — Despite the doubt, just start.

Once you have started and made a commitment to pursue your desire to become a painter, you will find that the next step on the journey will reveal itself. It’s as if starting sets off some kind of unseen magic.

You will make some ugly art and you will make some great art, and the PROCESS is what makes things interesting. Everything you do will teach you to take the next step. Art, by the way, is an endless exploration so even if you are a painter for 60 years, you still have more to explore. That is a great thing!

Other passions might not have that longevity factor.

You will be working on yourself as you follow your passion. Everything we dare to do helps us to discover new depths and gifts within ourselves. That is another gift that happens when we dare to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.

By all means, take some painting courses to learn technique, but know that the true creativity is inside of you. Don’t become a copy cat. Be brave enough to forge your own path even if there is lots of resistance. That might never go away, but you can make friends with it and DO IT ANYWAY.

Resistance meets me every morning in the studio, but what the heck is new with that? Nada. Old record of fear keeps playing in my mind, but action takes me beyond that and into the space where magic happens, or not. I still gain experience that is valuable.

How to find your passion if you don’t know what it is.

Think back to when you were a kid. What did you do then that you enjoyed? I enjoyed crafts (paperdolls,) reading, and the outdoors. Art making has traveled like a red thread through my life.

Think of some job you liked or had a knack for. It might have been a summer job when you were young.

What do you have a knack for? Writing? Numbers? Decorating? What do your friends ask you to help them with if anything? Do they often say, “You’re so good at this.”

If you like more internal things like reading, maybe you can try writing a book. What if you like intuition and meditation, all internal experiences? Maybe you can teach that to people. What if you love to cook? Maybe you can specialize in some type of cooking and write a cook book?

The possibilities are endless.

Maybe you like to speak, to lead, to teach. The online world is filled with endless possibility to make your mark and help many people.

Find your passion, START doing it. Take one step at a time, and when hurdles show up (as they will,) deal with them one at a time. You may have to do some internal work to get past feelings to inadequacy but in the long run, you will stand VICTORIOUS, and who knows, your paintings might be worth millions (once you’re dead, haha.) It’s all in the process, baby.

Kick the doubt to the curb and tell it stay the hell away!

Maria

P.S. I have an art and intuition ecourse coming up. Art as Oracle 2 starts on June 7. You can read all about it HERE.

art, creativity, inspirational, motivational, passion, process

Are you a quitter?

May 4, 2016 Maria G

I’m not a quitter.

I could have begun something fabulous a long time ago, but I had zero belief that I could succeed. My passion is art and I have created art since I was a kid (on and off.) I always wanted to be an artist, but parents and society said, “artists starve.” That is a false statement but a common one.

You might not make much money on the art to begin with, and ingenuity is very important. When I haven’t made money on my art, I have found other ways to supplement my income without compromising my time to make art.

Sometimes the art making is hard. I feel all kinds of resistance, but I’ll tell you how I overcame that. I made the DECISION to create art, no matter what. Come hell or high water…

Not quitting now. It has become such a great part of my life that it would be inconceivable to quit.

I wish I had committed to it a long time ago by changing my belief system, but the hold of consensus beliefs can be very strong. Also, I didn’t have any tools to help me out like EFT, (tapping.) I have found tapping to be a great way to release old belief systems.

We are all mired in beliefs. What is your passion? Are you doing anything to manifest it? Taking steps every day is something that builds into a big accomplishment as long as we hold the course.

I love what I do so it’s not hard to commit to it. However, the art making in itself can be frustrating and confronting at times. Instead of quitting, I stick with it through the uncomfortable feelings. More often than not, something happens to take me beyond the frustration, and it’s almost a magical feeling when everything comes together.

With any creative process that calls out to you, do this:

*Commit (make the decision) to take your passion seriously.

*Work on it every day even if it’s only baby steps.

* Don’t listen to naysayers, especially the one between your ears.

*When the going gets tough, stick to your passion like a burr.

*When no money is coming in from your passion, do it for the love of it.

*What you create is a gift to the world, so don’t waste any more time!

Easy enough points to follow and if you feel resistance from fear or you’re stuck in everyday rat racing, make a decision today to give your passion some feet. Eventually, you will grow some wings and fly!

I would love to hear what your passion is.

Maria

P.S. I’m selling my original art on etsy. If you’re looking for a gift of art, check out my shop today. HERE. 🙂

declutter, inspirational, life, motivational, process

Simplify!

April 30, 2016 Maria G

Hell yeah, simplify today.

I have been spending a lot of time decluttering my life. Not just all the junk around the house but also my digital junk. It feels good!

So much stuff drags us down and we don’t even know it. You know what a “drag” it is to enter a cluttered area, like a stuffed garage.

Some people are unable to part with their stuff, but I’m not one of them, thank God. I decluttered my closet, my papers, my books, my knicknacks, my email inbox that had about 1000 emails. It came down to about 10 that I still haven’t read and probably never will.

I decluttered my FB friends’ list and groups. I am the member of way too many groups there, and I don’t know how that happened.

I just deleted all of my numerous message threads on my phone, and that felt good. Clean slate is a good feeling. I even decluttered my studio, which is harder than anything else. Now I can actually find my tools (for now anyway.) There is a sense of serenity about order.

I love to simplify my life. I get a sense of space and serenity. It makes it easier to think. I like to see the expanse of my floors, and I like to move around freely without bumping into things.

There is something healing about getting rid of broken things and replacing them, or not. Everything has to be loved or have a purpose. If I don’t get that from stuff it won’t come into my house. Not anymore.

Books are hard to get rid of, but if I haven’t read them for years and don’t plan on reading them any time soon, out they go.

People who are a drag get decluttered too. There is no reason to hold on to friendships that don’t lift you up in some way.

Most important: I have been decluttering my belief systems and that is not an easy task, but I feel lighter, so I crave lighter surroundings. It makes sense.

This is not my brain anymore:

A great way to declutter the brain is through meditation! A great practice to do every day.

What have you decluttered lately?

Maria

P.S. Check out my etsy shop for some cool, affordable art. HERE.

creativity, inspirational, life, motivational, process, transformation

Psychic declutter.

April 27, 2016 Maria G

You might ask what psychic declutter means. And how does it affect art making?

We all declutter our houses from time to time. When I purge old ratty clothes from my closet, or sweep up the dust bunnies living under my bed, I feet GREAT. Though, I admit I’ve got some pretty big dust bunnies in my house, and my cat contributes enough hair to knit a bunch of sweaters for the winter. He moves around shedding without a care in the world.

It’s good to have a clean and orderly house that smells awesome, but what about your body? That is easy to take care of too, of course. Some nice soap and hot water go a long way.

Psychic debris might drag you down, especially in this fast-paced electronic world. We catch all sorts of energy we don’t really want. People wear us out, televisions and other media constantly pump out information, AND unwanted waves.

I know I suffer from info overload a lot, and I hate it when people dump their problems on me, or chit-chat me to death.

However, my saving grace, my windshield wipers come in the form of meditation. It gives me a big space of silence between me and the world, like a soft buffer. It also gives me perspective on the issues going on in my life. I try to sit down and really concentrate within every day. When I don’t, I miss it a lot.

For energy debris, I use sage smoke to clear my aura or an old-fashioned Epsom salt bath. You feel REALLY clean after that, lol. Energy overload isn’t necessarily evil, but it can make you feel drained and tired.

A good night’s sleep is a great healer.

Before I go out into the world, I put on an energetic cloak of light that has a mirrored surface facing out. It helps to deflect some of the energy coming at me.

The most important thing is to stay in balance, in equilibrium, because once out of it, you lose your power. Worst case scenario, you become a victim of the energies going on around you. That can be very uncomfortable depending on what is going on. Scattered energy affects my art making in a major way. When I’m balanced, inspiration and motivation seem to flow a lot easier,

Just choose to spend time with people who give you a lift. That makes a huge difference. Energy vampires abound, but you can choose to remove yourself from their influence.

It can feel lonely at times, but as those kinds of energies leave your life, new and better energies have a chance to appear.

On a practical note, you could always get rid of the TV… I did. I have never regretted the choice.

So, to recap:

Meditate

Choose who you spend time with

Choose your social media or TV addiction wisely (in other words, much less of it.)

Stop reading the papers. So much emphasis on negative news.

Clean your environment, declutter your mind and body.

Wear protective light energy in public and stay positive.

Not too hard, huh? It’s just a choice.

All these practices help me to stay focused and my creativity flows without effort. Implement a couple of these practices and see the difference for yourself.

Maria

P.S. Check out my latest painting, a buddha picture. It represents what I was talking about in the post. HERE.

Maria Greene @ Greeneearth

Category Archives: inspirational

I joined a 30 day blog writing challenge.

The muse is a fickle b*itch.

Doubt is what holds us back.

Are you a quitter?

Simplify!

Psychic declutter.

Artist and writer