art, creativity, inspirational, motivational, passion, process

Are you a quitter?

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…

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your passion

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.

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my passion

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.

passion5xo

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!

Hell yeah, simplify today.

clutter
simplfy clutter.

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.

serenity
I love serenity.

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:

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brain clutter

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

What have you decluttered lately?

xo

Maria

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

creativity, inspirational, life, motivational, process, transformation

Psychic declutter.

infooverload
Psychic clutter

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.

infomeditation

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.

xo

Maria

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

 

art, art journaling, creativity, ecourse, free, intuitive, painting, process, tutorial, video

Ugly is ok! micro workshop

I already posted back in the fall of ’15 about painting ugly. Here are some more thoughts about that.

If you’re like me, art holds certain standards for us. We try so many methods and techniques; we compare ourselves to others. Some styles we like some we don’t. It’s hard to know which style suits you the best.

Have you ever tried just being yourself as you approach art? Forget about the rules and be free, like kids fearlessly showing up at the empty page. Paint outside the box! To reach the true core of who we are involves a lot of unlearning or ignoring what we know. Unlearning is deeply satisfying, yet it can be hard to let go and allow the art to be what it wants to be.

Like you I make a decent painting and art journal spreads, and I’m proud and happy about the results. When it comes to spontaneity however, it can be very frustrating since we’re always striving for results.

My aim for this FREE micro workshop is to give you space to be yourself, to wait and see what will come onto the page without you pushing anything.

What I get from this kind of art is a sense of Self. I can actually recognize my own energy in the art. It has a very intimate feel to it, and I find it addictive to paint in this way. I also receive sudden insights and messages about the state I’m in at the time of painting. This particular spread in the video turned out happy, and it’s a state I’m in a lot, but others that I’ve done are dark and dreary. The tendency is to rip out those kinds of pages, but to honor myself, I also have to honor my darker, more destructive side. Usually, I don’t like showing those pages to people. They are basic and pretty ugly. It’s like trying anything new and unknown, you just have to immerse yourself in it to find out the truth about it.

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in the shadows “Uglee”

I invite you to explore.

I invite you to leave all your knowledge at the door and explore you inner self.

I invite you to paint “ugly,” unfettered like a child.

I invite you to meet your inner self without fear.

I invite you to sit through the discomfort.

I invite you to break through to the “fire.”

Are you willing to take this trip with me?

All you need is an art journal page, or a watercolor sheet, or even a canvas. Whatever you have on hand, and you need some paint, brushes, and markers. That is all. You can even use colored pencils, pencils, ballpoint pens, and oil pastels. There are no rules.

If you want to share your work, please join my Facebook group. HERE.

I need to point out that your art will be completely different from mine! The video will show the process I go through and you’ll get an idea how to go about it.  And then you can make your own art spread. YES!

Access the FREE micro workshop Ugly is Ok! HERE.

I also did an Ugly is Ok! 2 a month later.  To view, click HERE.

Now go and paint something ugly! 🙂

xo

Maria

art, free, inspirational, life, motivational, process, purpose, self help

It’s ok to be all over the place.

My inner critic does not believe it’s ok to be all over the place.  Follow the check list, tick the items off and feel accomplished.  That is the ego’s rule.  Work hard! I never was much of a list person, but I would have a goal in mind and try to accomplish that by making a vague list to follow. Funny thing is, the lists seem to repeat themselves over the years.  Did I ever get anywhere??

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There isn’t anything wrong with lists, but sometimes I stop and realize I’m missing the whole point. That happened this morning as I read one of my favorite author, Michael Roads’ daily quote in my inbox.  I read every single one of them…

                          Focus on the target, but ‘live’ the arrow in flight.

 Suppose you have a business ambition, or a wish to be spiritually enlightened, or whatever your target is that you are aiming at.

Focus on that target clearly, without seeing any problems or difficulties.  This clears the way.  Seeing problems creates obstructions.

You must now bring your awareness and full expression into the moment.  You know the target, it is in your focus, now  . . . you live as the arrow in flight.  The more focussed and clear your vision, the truer and more sure flies your arrow-self.

Unconditional Trust is the flight of the arrow.

Michael J. Roads

The excerpt is from his book 365 Steps to a Happier More Conscious Life.
Read that statement a few times and take a deep breath or two. What does it bring up for you?
I’m a goal oriented person and one of my strengths is to get shit done, but many times I wonder if any of it brings me any closer to where I really want to be?
I don’t know.
I think I understand where I want to be in my “evolution,” but seriously, does anyone really know?
I for sure don’t know the big picture even if I can feel a hint of it sometimes.
I’m an adventurer. Not that I went and discovered some lost continent, but my own frontier is enough since there is so much to discover.
People say: focus on one thing and make that spectacular. Become an expert.
I have tried. I’m one of those people who gets interested in something by chance. I read and absorb everything I can about the subject, and when I’m done I’m on to the next bright thing. I could teach many things, but that’s not really my “thing.”
In some ways I’m a walking encyclopedia of useful and useless information.
No wonder I can’t see my way through the jungle of possibilities.
I have been trying to combine my spirituality, which is a practice close to my heart, with my art, and create a fusion that can  help people in some way.
Nothing has really gelled, so I keep forging ahead in the wilderness with my machete/ paintbrush.  I can’t stay with one type of motif and explore that at length like some artists do.
Now there is a word for people like me!  A woman by the name of Emilie Wapnick gave a TED talk about being a “multipotentialite.”
Check it out HERE.
“Why some of us don’t have a true calling.”
I found it comforting and delightful to listen to the talk.
So, I guess the gist of this post is to be content with being all over the place. Remember to stop and smell the roses! Don’t live by ticking off items on a list.  Focus on what you want next (and that can change if you’re anything like me,) and be the arrow that shoots free and clear toward that goal.
rose
Smell the roses.
The best suggestion I can give today: be kind to yourself and allow for a wider perspective to seep in.  No hurry, no worries. Have TRUST and enjoy the journey, wherever it leads. It’s good to have goals but not at the cost of the simple joy of living.
Follow the moment and life is always fresh and full of wonder, and explore the word Trust. There is so much more to that word than meets the eye.
I am discovering a whole new level of TRUST and it’s awesome.
My latest painting:
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The Buddha intuitive painting.
xo
Maria
P.S. If you’d like an intuitive consultation, check it out HERE.
I offer reasonable rates and awesome readings!
art, art journaling, creativity, ecourse, free, intuitive, painting, process, unstuck

Creativity on fire.

Creativity on fire, do you feel it, or do you feel stuck most of the time?

Creativity has become a big deal these days. The word is thrown around all over Facebook and other social media.  What is creativity?  I like how Wiki defines creativity:

Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention a literary work or a painting).

In other words, it’s not just artsy stuff. I’m into artsy stuff and self development. Creative ideas can be very helpful in both.

The problem with art is that we tend to copy each other, or paint in the style that is popular now. The artists we admire have forged their own path of creativity and that’s why they are leaders.

Forging your own path can be quite difficult and challenging, especially if you’re prone to criticize yourself and your work. It is always easier to copy others.

However, all the art looks the same, and part of us approve that we follow the trend, but another part says “wait a minute” that painting is not ME.

The only way to keep creativity on fire is to explore your inner landscape, to discover more and more of who you are and how you express. That means to listen to your intuition and step lightly and slowly in a world that runs at warp speed. Are you willing to truly go deep an explore or are you just having fun copying others or the teacher of the moment?

Every moment that feels authentic has another moment following, and to keep authentic we have to listen for that moment and what it presents. It might not present anything, and then we get frustrated.

I do this all the time. I override my better deeper judgment and paint something I already know, usually something cute. As you know, cute is IN, so you can’t go wrong with cute and whimsical.

However, the practice makes me frustrated and I get stopped in my tracks. That’s no way to feel around creativity. I want to feel fresh and inspired, “on fire.”

Maybe the hardest thing is to stay present and listening, and not bulling through to the finished product.

I have a FREE mini ecourse where art-ing in the moment can be explored. Check this out: Ugly Is Ok!

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In the shadow

Join my Facebook group and share your work if you like. HERE.

Cheerio, and happy creating. Find the fire within!

xo

Maria

Artist and writer