I still wanted to mention “keeping the faith” for your large projects. I read not to long ago that the universe does nothing while leaving nothing undone. I’ve really been thinking about this lately. Let me share with you some of my thoughts.

Nature is. The season warms; plants grow, trees grow leaves. The season cools, plants die, trees pull their sap back to their roots. There is no definitive line other than a pseudo-arbitrary date we humans set that marks the “1st day of summer” or the “1st day of fall. I’ve seen an inch of snow fall in July in northern Nevada. But no one has to walk out to the maple tree and say, “Okay, it’s fall now. Time to lose your leaves. Go to sleep for the winter.” We expect “nature” to take care of that. It does, and the cycle continues.

The sun comes up every morning and makes its trek across the sky to set in the evening. No one has to set an alarm clock for the sun. We know now that the sun is the center of the universe and our rotation just makes it look like it’s rising and setting, but that hasn’t always been a “truth” in the minds of humans. There are countless myths about the sun’s journey and its meaning. But the universe doesn’t care what we think. The sun will rise tomorrow. It’ll set tomorrow. The cycle will continue for exactly as long as it is supposed to (for I won’t presume that our solo star will burn forever). When it is time for the sun to die, it will do so just as the universe intended and in the same cycle as every other star.

Believe that we are in a larger system and this balance cycle not only works above us, but in us as well. We don’t have to think about our heart beating or the process of digestion. These systems just work within our bodies without our conscious thought. Only do they get out of balance when we are out of sync.

So, when I say that you have to have faith in your large projects, know that I’m talking about trusting the process of creation as a system that will work automatically for you. Notice in last week’s post that I didn’t say you have to put your nose to the grindstone and keep working at your project no matter what. No, I said that you can’t let fear let you get stuck in the mud. I even acknowledged that you would get stuck but that you needed to wash off. There was no force there. No mention of how to get unstuck either. Having faith in the process and allowing yourself to be will assure that if this project is truly yours to manage, you will go through the dip and come out the other side. I did say that you had to “lean into” your project and carry forward. But again, that isn’t a forced action or even a hamster on the wheel image. Have you ever gone out and shaken a tree to get the leaves to fall. Okay, I have — I wanted to rake my yard before it got cold and the leaves just weren’t letting go! Needless to say, I wasn’t very successful. I couldn’t force the process. I had to let be and let nature.

Now, with it being Memorial Day, I do want to add an extra thought here. What about the fear that you will die before your project is completed? Very real fear. I know that I have too many stories that I want to tell, both with words and with pictures, that I will never be able to tell them all. I personally trust that I will be compelled to tell the stories I need to and nothing will stop me. The ones that aren’t something I have to tell will fall away. I doubt that only one person gets a story, so I know others will receive the same story I did and they will tell it. It might be that which they are compelled to tell whereas it wasn’t my story — I was just the backup gal in case the real artist couldn’t complete his/her mission, kind of like the Miss America runner-up.

I do wonder what painting was the last that Thomas Kinkade finished. Was there one sitting on his easel? Is it still there? I believe he is a man who let his demons get him. He got out of sync at least with his life if not with his art too. At some point, he stepped back and saw that what he was creating was larger than himself — too large to handle and the fear entered. But within the larger whole, nothing of his life or his art was left truly undone. It was exactly as it needed to be.

Have faith that your projects are on track. Be grateful for each day you are given to lean into the process of adding your artistic talents to them. And, above all, trust the system that you are creating exactly as you should.

Remember, it’s important to keep a pulse on the business side of your art. Believe me, I do realize how hard that is to do when you’re doing what you love (and a lot of times we feed our own dreams for quite awhile before we ever start making money). This is what makes Seth’s words so valuable — it is a kick in the behind for those of us who just love sharing **freely** of what we do. Isn’t it about time our dreams start to support us?

Go get your downloads and get inspired to share your intellectual property in a way that supports you back!

Oh, just downloading the books won’t get you inspired — you do have to read them. (I might — I said, “might!” — be guilty of that myself.)

Make good art. Make your art.

I’ve been learning animation. Mostly just messing around and tinkering. I’ve always loved cartoons. My parents didn’t understand why I could jump out of bed at 6:30 on Saturday morning without trying to have my waffles ready by 7:00 when cartoons started — boy doesn’t that date me! — when the rest of the week it was a struggle to get me up. With computers, I see great possibilities.

All these were done completely with Anime Studios Debut 6 — more great software from Smith Micro, the same company that makes Manga Studios.

So here’s one that started off as a tutorial that I expanded. I had a lot of fun with this one. Watch for the rain!

Here’s another modified tutorial.

Okay, last one if you’re still up for it. This was actually their character from the start-up screen that I played around with.

I see many great things coming with this new skill I’ve been working on. I have a couple promo videos I want to put together for Sacred Knight that I’m really excited about! So much so, I want to have them done now! Alas, if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly in the beginning. I hope these aren’t too terrible. I did have fun with them (I’m sure I’ve mentioned that). To me, that’s what counts — having fun outweighs other people’s opinions of my “student work” attempts. I do hope that you enjoy seeing an artist’s early attempts — I feel too many artists only want to show what they feel is worthy which gives an unrealistic opinion. I’d rather show what I’m enjoying doing.

Okay, there’s a lot more there that I should save for another blog someday! Grin!

Anyway, let me know if you enjoyed my first animation attempts. I certainly hope you got a laugh.

One more thing I want to share which I hope you find as much inspiration as I did. This video is what gave me the courage to try out animation. I’ve just included it as a link here because it has sound — so if you’re able, turn up your speakers and Get Busy Living. If you can’t turn up the speakers, come back and play it when you can. Enjoy.

Don’t let the fear, that icy cold stop that pours from your heart right down to your feet, get you stuck in the mud. We all get bogged down every now and then. Sometimes, a mud bath can be rejuvenating! But it’s important to wash yourself off, warm up with a fuzzy towel, and get back on track. You can’t just step back and look at the whole project wondering how you’ll get it done; you’ve got to actually lean into the project and move forward with it.

Sacred Knight is my big project. When I try to scope the whole project within my vision, I wonder how I will get it all done. It seems impossible. I have had to break the whole thing down into small pieces, first the four separate story arcs, then the five different books (subject to change as it has before), then each chapter. I even write this story in layers. There is simply too much to do all at once.

So take the great body of work you want to do or are doing, and break it down for yourself into smaller, manageable chunks. Yes, every now and again you do need to look up at the whole thing and make sure it’s on track. Believe me, if my second story arc gets off, my third and fourth arcs won’t be nearly as effective, so I have to keep checking. Just don’t get overwhelmed by the complexity of your project. Look up, make sure everything is in alignment, then get back to work.

One of my personal favorite blogs is Walt Kania’s The Freelancery. Even better than the blog itself is this fabulous ebook Walt has put together of his most popular posts. This way, you can keep it simple and read the best of the best if you don’t have time for the whole blog. And the cherry on top: Walt is offering his ebook for free! So, I couldn’t just let that slip by unnoticed by the rest of the world who has yet to discover Walt. A big kudos shout-out to Walt with a big hug of gratitude for the free ebook. I’ve got my copy. Be sure to get yours.

Thank you again, Walt!

Strangely, it’s a lunch that added a new dimension to my thinking. Let me step back and explain.

Since I also work a full-time job in addition to working on my artistic career, I always feel my limited time is extremely precious. Extremely precious! I don’t play games on Facebook and I try to avoid things that aren’t in my focus. Okay, my one fault is that I do like watching tv with my children and we probably spend far too much time doing that. I like to know what they are watching (making sure it’s appropriate) and we have a lot of discussions about life based on what we’re watching. I hate stupid tv; I’d rather watch something that someone has put some thought into rather than watching what dumb things people will do or how they… Wait! I’m not ranting about that! Maybe another time.

Okay, back to topic.

My lunch time is one of those things I value. Except for the occasional lunch with a friend, I want to spend my lunch alone — preferably with food that is quick and easy. Normally, I spend the time reading or meditating (after eating of course), or painting, or writing — something.

Today, as I said previously, was different.

Today I’m off work (All praise the day after tax day! I do think it’s become my favorite holiday). Anyway, I was making myself a sweet potato for lunch and as I heard the microwave announce that it was done, I wondered what I was going to do while I ate. I’ve been writing and doing housework most of the morning, so should I take a break and sit down and watch something (oh no, more tv!). I decided I really didn’t want to do that. I didn’t feel like reading.

Quite frankly, I wanted to use my time efficiently. After all, that’s what I’ve trained myself to do.

I decided to work on a tutorial. I’m in the middle of learning something new. Sorry, I can’t say what I’m learning at this moment, but let’s just say that I am trying something out to see if I like it or not. I have a shiny new curriculum for what I’m working on, but I haven’t had time to sit down yet and start going through it. I knew today was going to be the day for Lesson One, but I didn’t realize my lunch time was about to become part of the moment.

After fixing up my potato, I realized that I really wanted to work on the tutorial now. As I went back to my office, I said to myself, “I’m going to have a Learning Lunch.” <>

But as I sat down and called up what I was going to work on, I realized that I do try to have Learning Lunches every day. I’m always spending the time reading or learning something whether its something about myself or my art. This time is valuable to me. It’s just never been so formal in my heart as it was today.

It will be a tradition I continue.

How about you?

As a young girl, I remember listening to and reading about how writers would put their butts in the chair and write. I found it fascinating how they would answer the question of “where do you get your ideas?” Even more fascinating was when I realized they were also listening to how each other answered that question.

I am often asked how I came up with the idea for my book. I was sitting on a couch talking to the man I was then married to about men riding unicorns. The character just appeared in my head (yes, on a unicorn, in his splendid armor of blue and gold) and I knew I had to discover his story. The idea was the easy part!

Taking it from conception to book was a longer process, mostly involving many drafts and failed attempts. I just had to keep working on his story until I had it right. Even working on the second book in the series now I find I’m still trying to get the story exactly right.

Now, what I’d like it to listen to you share your story. How do you create? From conception to finish. Do you meditate? Do you go with the flow? Do you feel tackled by your ideas? Do you work on thumbnail sketches until you’ve got it right? Do you drop the clay on the wheel and see where it takes you? What does your process feel like.

Come on, time to share!

Over the last year, I seem to have transitioned from reading business books to reading things more motivational through the metaphysical. One thing I find that rubs me the wrong way every time I read it is the question of “How may I serve?” in relation to finding your highest purpose in life. Focus on serving others, they all say.

Here’s my issue with that: service denotes a master/slave relationship. When viewed like this, art serves no purpose.

Art is not (generally) created for the whims of others. Commissions and freelancing assignments aside, I’m talking about those personal projects we all have. We create them not because we have a human master who needs us to “service” them, but because we have a spiritual master who drives us to create this project. We are creating for our higher self so to speak. Then we release the project to the world and hope someone else finds enjoyment from it.

I realized something important last week. I was driving home and decided I wanted a ice cream treat. I could’ve very easily stopped and gotten something, but I went home and picked up my youngest knowing that he would like a treat too and it would be a surprise for him. In essence, I wanted to share with him.

The next day, I was driving again and I thought about this. I realized that sharing is a large portion of what I do. I share with my children. I share my thoughts and ideas with you on this blog. I share my art with those who enjoy it. I share my stories with those who want to read it.

Unlike “service,” sharing has a different relationship. It is one of giving. Isn’t that what underlies the question, “How can you serve others?” Isn’t that really asking, “How will you share your talents with others?”

When viewed this way, the whole questions of “Does art serve a purpose?” vanishes. I know I’ve been stuck on that thorn a few times of wondering what the purpose of my art is. Not that it shouldn’t be asked. After all, I know that my art and my stories are meant to entertain and inspire with noble hearts and fantastic places. Is it life-changing? Will it save the world? No, not everyone wants to hear what my art has to say. Nor do I want to share my “babies” with someone who isn’t willing to listen to my message. I understand cloud mind and that everyone is plugged into it in a different part, thus making the path we have to walk. I’m good with it. Not everyone else is. I don’t want conflict in my life, certainly not over my art. I create what I must. If someone else doesn’t get that, it’s not my mission to change their mind. I’d rather focus on the people that come to me and say, “I could just walk into this piece and stay there forever.”

So, quit worrying about how you and/or your art is serving others and just yourself up to sharing.

I’m facing that with my book right now. I know this story inside and out, but writing it is a challenge at the moment. I keep having to stop and ask myself, “What do I want want to happen? What do I want the character’s motivations to be?” I keep telling myself that I have to be the first audience for the story and that I am writing the story for me.

I was working on a study painting last night (I’ll try to get a picture of it up next week). It’s not anything marvelous, just me playing around trying a couple new things. But as I was painting it, I realized that I had to make myself happy in painting it. If I wasn’t happy, then no one else would enjoy it either. I was the first viewer. I knew what I needed to do, but I had to allow the painting to come. Even more, I had to let myself experiment and play. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t going to be a great masterpiece — it wasn’t intended to be. It took awhile to get out of my own way and allow the process of me painting to overcome my critical tendencies.

It is so hard sometimes to trust the energy of the universe, to trust the process, but once we settle in and allow ourselves to be in the process, it is amazing what flows. For me, the easiest way to do this is to ask myself what I want. In my heart, I already know that answer. If I don’t follow what I want, there is no way I can authentically share my art with others without feeling judged already.

How do you trust the process? Is this something you know you need to do more of and are you ready to try now?