How are you going? I hope you are doing okay x This last week has been pretty tough...have you felt that too? Our peace and comfort are certainly being challenged. It feels like the whole world is changing and even what it means to be alive is changing.
At the best of times I struggle with feeling like I am wasting time if I am not maximising every moment of the day in some productive way. This week I hit a wall and had a mini meltdown if I'm honest. Even though I felt completely exhausted I did still go into the studio. It is my safe haven and the place I go to to work out how to deal with all that is going on inside my head and in the world.
The most wonderful thing about any kind of creative practice is how it informs life and teaches us ways to cope with unpredictability and change. The lessons you learn and experience through life show in your creative practice and your creative practice helps you adjust to the challenges of life as they happen.
Working as an intuitive painter you learn to let go of expectation, try out new things and embrace change. You explore what appeals to you and learn to accept who you are, what you like and discover what brings you joy. All creatives go through times of self-doubt...that's human, but the ability to get up again and keep going, doing your thing is so valuable, as a life practice, in a constantly evolving world.
In my studio this week I admit I did struggle with carrying on and finding purpose in painting at this chaotic time. I usually paint how I feel and the way I was feeling was not something I wanted to put down on canvas. It all felt so pointless, with all the scary issues that are bombarding us. Whilst contemplating what to paint, it dawned on me that if I didn't want to paint what I was feeling, perhaps I could paint what I wanted to feel instead, and perhaps by putting feel good paintings out there I would also be helping others to feel better too, almost like a painting manifestation to raise a positive vibration. This became my mission for the week, so instead of allowing myself to be sucked down by the bad feelings I would create purpose by putting lighter energy out there!
Ghandi once said..."You must be the change you wish to see in the world". Perhaps this is a start...we must be the light, energy and change we want to see...surely we have nothing to lose xx
the chaos & the calm....work in progress in this studio this week
Podcast of the week
My favourite podcast episode this week was Susan Nethercote's Studio Insider podcast.
Artist Susan Nethercote interviews artist & author Flora Bowley. Blending over twenty-five years of professional painting experience with her background as a yoga instructor, healer, and lifelong truth seeker, Flora's intimate popular in-person retreats and online courses have empowered a global network of brave painters while crating a new holistic movement in the intuitive art world.
In her most recent book, The Art of Aliveness, Flora explores the vast ways in which the principles of creativity can serve as fuel for a more alive and awakened way of living in the world - no paintbrushes required. Listen here
I am currently also reading her book The Art of Aliveness. This can be found currently on Kindle for just $1.41! You can't even get a magazine for that!
AVAILABLE PAINTINGS
If you need some artwork to brighten your days check out all available work here
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