Tag Archives: art

art, creativity, life, nature, transformation

Appreciate peace

I was sitting down by the lake appreciating peace this morning at about 6:30am. I live with my back yard facing a big city park that borders on a pretty big lake full of gators.  Day 4 of the blog challenge.

I was sitting in a grove of trees feeling the peace coming out of the trees and the ground. It was indescribable.  More often than not I don’t notice it as I hustle by on my power walk.  But lately I have taken the time to sit down on a park bench and let myself be washed through by this sense of belonging.  I feel the park is holding the positive energy in this busy area where I live.  So I thought I’d join with nature and send out some peace and love to the area and beyond.  It’s even possible to send it around the whole earth just through the imagination.

I pondered what the art would look like if I attempted to paint the feeling I got.  I’m going to drive over to that grove with my art supplies soon and see if I can capture the feeling on paper. So elusive but still tangible.

I think we portray in art all the strands of energy that come across our path daily.  That why a basically “ugly” painting can have such a draw. The energy draws you in. So, I think it’s important for artists to  be connected to the larger picture (no pun intended) to get more depth in the art.

When we give ourselves time to slow down and ground, we open up the door for more authenticity and a deeper connection to the source of all art and life.

Slow down to hustle.

I know, it sounds ass backwards, but what do we gain by running so fast through life?  Nothing  positive.  Disconnection and stress. Have you ever taken the time to really look at a person and HEAR them, not just listening to the words?

Same with nature. Do you hustle by it mindlessly or do you stop to feel your place in the fabric of creation?

I’m learning to live more in tune and show up to really see and hear what is going on around me. That is the best support you can give to anyone, just as nature supports us daily with comfort and oxygen.

Take a breather today!

And create some lovely art?

xo

Maria

P.S.  I have some cool paintings for sale in my etsy shop HERE.

You can also check out my self-study art e-courses 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?

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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.

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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.

art, inspirational, intuitive, life, nature

I joined a 30 day blog writing challenge.

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.

soap-bubble-1388505__180Life 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.

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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.  🙂

dwarf-972875__180Next 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!!

xo

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.

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.

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the bored uppity muse b*itch

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.

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fickle muse

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.

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No muse here.

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!

xo

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.

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

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doubt and fear

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.

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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!

xo

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, art journaling, creativity, mixed media, video

First snow grunge

 

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First snow, grunge art journal page

First snow is not really relevant since we’re coming up on Memorial Day weekend, but First Snow is what happened when I created this grunge art journal spread.  I made a video of it that you can watch. I added so many layers that it got really interesting, (almost a page ready to be cut up for some other project.) But I think I saved it. Judge for yourself.