Tag Archives: genius

art, creativity, motivational

Art as expression of the intangible

I have touched on art as an expression of the intangible before when I wrote about the masters and what they left behind that touches us so deeply.  Not just artists, but the musicians too. There were composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.  They are still popular today, and what about all the more modern music that blasts over the internet and the radio?

Those people composed because they had such a strong urge to bring it out to the world. Not that they thought about fame and fortune, but something inside urged them to bring the gift out.

When we make something special to us, we also grace the world with that special something, the intangible energy that is pure genius. We can’t all be Beethoven or Rembrandt, but we have the gift of genius as well.  Just touching ONE person’s heart is enough.

I was thinking about that when I went grocery shopping yesterday.  Sometimes the energy is drab and low in the stores, but just one smile can change the energy to something better.  One smile can change a person’s day.  So, I go to the stores with the intention of bringing a good vibe, like magic dust, spread it around and touch someone with a bit of cheer.

Everything we do, if we do it with care and with a cheerful spirit, is genius. It’s that intangible something that comes from within. The trick is to live in the moment, not in memories or worries for the future.

In other words, to become a genius and be who you were meant to be from the get go is to practice staying in the moment of now and create. A whole new world opens up.

Yesterday, I was driving down this busy highway that everyone hates around here and cars hurtled by at breakneck speeds. Usually, I feel a bit anxious about being in the middle of the traffic “soup,” but yesterday it was like being in a vision of joy propelling the cars forward. Somehow I had tapped into the universal power that drives everything, and all I could see was joyous movement.  So strange.

The moment deepens into a whole new view of the world, and when I bring that to my art, everyone loves it.  I need to be there more often. 🙂

Have you let your genius out? If not, it’s about time to allow the bigger you to play. Slap some paint around and see what happens.  Sometimes we have to break all the rules to get out of the box.

I’m not getting back in that box!  Once out, you can’t really go back in. If you do, you feel like a fool.

Going to my studio now…

xo

Maria

P.S. I have three self-study e-courses available to get that art mojo going! CLICK HERE.

art, creativity, fear, inspirational, motivational, process, purpose

Ugly Is Okay!

toadimage

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, right?  To me, ugly is okay.  I googled free pictures of “ugly” and there were a whole bunch of them, all wildly diverse. Who decides what is ugly anyway? I saw the toad picture and thought of the saying “ugly as a toad,” but truly, he’s kind of cute, warts and all! After all, he is Kermit’s half(?) brother…

Do we judge something as ugly because of the colors or the shape?  Opinions are as diverse as there are people. Then there are clueless people who don’t like anything, but they are not important in this post.

As an artist, I deal with “ugly” every day. Many times I judge my art as ugly, or that the result of a day of painting turned out ugly. However, a friend might come by and totally love the piece.  Who am I to judge??

I think it’s about making art in the face of fear and failure.  We make art because we love it, not so much hoping we are going to outshine Vermeer or Michelangelo.  Still, it can be painful to have your art judged as ugly, or that you hate the result.  What counts is that you showed up at the blank page.

We all start somewhere. The technical skill might be lacking but the essence of the person who made the art shines through.  Especially if it’s not a copy job.  It can be hard to fly in the face of trends. The cuteness factor is hard to compete with if you’re painting mostly in black and gray.

No one paints like you or me or Vermeer.  We are unique and we came here to share our unique gift with the world.  Share the good vibe as they say. 🙂

Artists who keep coming back to making art “has to” share  their unique vibe and it’s a beautiful thing.

The point of this post: don’t compare yourself to others. You will never paint as cute as they do, haha, but your art is important.  If you consider your art “ugly” own it and be proud of your accomplishment.  Someone might come by and fall in love with the piece, and then what are you going to say?

We share at the level we are at.  We might no be a genius like Mozart or Leonardo, but our art is just as important if in a smaller scale. If you touched only one other person, that would be enough.  Then again, as you practice your art, you may dig deep into your inner genius, and then your name will be on a plaque in a museum too. You never know unless you keep on going!

Let’s go paint some ugly pictures! I’m excited. 🙂

xo

Maria

P.S. I have a bunch of short free tutorials and a couple of paid ecourses on my other site.  If interested you can check them out HERE.