“Phenomenal Woman” Mixed Media Painting

Sometimes there are no words.

No words to express the love you feel.

No words to ease the pain.

We look for them.  We try to capture it with the fanciest words we can find.  Still, they fall flat. The cheapen and cheat.

These are the moments.  The moments where the only things to do is TO BE.

Just BE with the ecstasy.

Just BE with the suffering.

Just BE with the beauty.

Just BE with the injustice.

Just BE with the “I can’t put my finger on it.”

Just BE with the “I don’t know HOW I know – I just KNOW.”

Just BE.

These are the moments. The moments where the invitation is simply, “Just BE.”  Don’t try to understand, explain, fix, change, make sense of, push away, or even grasp for more.

Just BE.

Lots and lots of love to you!

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“Discover” Oil painting on 16×20 linen

Uncertainty is not the enemy.

Sure, you want all the answers.  I get that.

But, uncertainty only sucks when you push against it – when you set out to conquer it.

When you allow uncertainty to exist with love and acceptance, it transforms into mystery.

Mystery is exciting and full of possibility.

Mystery begs for stillness so we can listen.

Mystery is full of wisdom.

Mystery is life.

Lots and lots of love to you!

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It’s time for a little blog hop question and answer time:

1. What am I working on?

I am always working on several things at one time.  This give me the opportunity to allow my creative process to ebb and flow.  When I feel stuck on one thing, I can let it rest and move on to something that will light and delight. 

I currently have several oil paintings in the works.  I am also making what I’m calling “artful necklaces” – which are mini versions of my original artwork. (You can find these in my Etsy store.)

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I think when we are first learning, our work is influenced by others that we admire.  As our skill sets and confidence grows, there is an opening for our heart to start being seen and expressed through our work.

My work is different because it is an expression of my heart and soul which is the beauty of all types of art.  We are permitted a glimpse into another’s private, eternal life.

3. Why do I create what I do?

I’m inspired to do so.  Most of my artwork is born from a place of, “Oh….I want to convey that on a canvas!”  Something “that” is an emotion, an insight, or an experience.

There are rare instances when I feel a pull to paint something and I wait for the “why” to be revealed to me.  This is one of the reasons I love art so much – I learn so much about myself and the world around me during the process.

4. How does my writing process work?

Well, if I’m truthful, it doesn’t work well at all.  LOL!  I have major resistance to writing.  The funny thing is that I keep coming back to it. (Glutton for punishment?)  When I do write, I usually just sit down and write whatever comes to mind.  I will normally sit on it for a couple hours or even days before I decide if what I have written will meet the publish button. 

As I sat in a Dr. office today, I overheard a conversation between an elderly gentlemen and a younger woman.  They were exchanging ideas about how the technology age that we currently live in is going to be the ruin of our society.  While I can certainly see the benefits of unplugging, I have to say that this age of connecting through the web has been a true gift to me.  I meet the most amazing people, receive an enormous amount of authentic support, and am inspired everyday by lovely people putting themselves and their work out there for the world to see.  I’m honored to call these people my friends.  Swing by and say, “hi”.  I know they would love to meet you.

Amelia Maness-Gillilan of Black House Studio

People visit Amelia’s personal website,  the Blackhouse Studio, to view her photography and to enjoy moments of inspiration and humor in their day through her honest reflections on life. Through her words and images Amelia encourages thousands of people around the world everyday to enjoy the present moment by recognizing that the smallest threads of our every day are woven together to create the beautiful tapestry of our lives.  It’s in the details.

Kristin Noelle of Trust Tending

Kristin Noelle is a teacher, a healer, and a visual poet. Her work explores various angles of the question, “How can we consciously cultivate trust as a worldview?” Her online home is Trust Tending.

Kristin loves deep conversation, dancing as a way of healing, time spent in nature, dark chocolate, and all the little (and big) moments when fear isn’t running the show. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

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This is my latest, completed painting.  It was done with oils on 18” x 24” linen.  I have titled it “The Reunion”.

It’s no secret that I wrestle with “body issues”.  When I was in my early twenties, I struggled with bulimia.  When I got tired of kneeling down in public restrooms to purge, I moved on to anorexia.  I starved myself for several years – eating a diet made up of mostly pretzels and orange juice until my body caved in places it should have protruded.  With the help of caring and uber smart professionals and a network of supportive family and friends, I was able to put these extreme behaviors behind me.

However, the mistreatment of my body didn’t end there.  I simply restrained myself from physically beating up on my body. I continued with the more subtle type of abuse – verbal and emotional. While this type of abuse is not as visible on the surface, it can be just as harmful.

Over the past couple years, I have found myself, once again, on a healing journey.  During this time, my body revolted and put on an extra 25 pounds. (Or maybe it’s 30 – who’s counting?)

It’s no surprise that this extra “baggage” has triggered some pretty strong neural networks. My lizard brain has outfitted itself with an arsenal of weapons and stands anxiously on the front line waiting for permission to wage war. But I know my mind does not represent me.

As Mooji teaches, “If you can witness it, it is not you.”

I know that I want peace – not a treaty that enforces peace – peace that comes from trust, understanding, and compassion. I know it exists, I just don’t know where to find it, what it feels like, or how to get my hands on it.

The hardest of journeys are the ones where you wait in stillness until the path reveals itself.

Martha Beck teaches that our bodies respond the same way wild horses react when we use traditional methods of force to try to tame them.  They lash out from fear and lack of trust. This type of forceful training escalates until the horse gives up – we call this a horse who has been “broken.”

It has been proven over and over again that there is a more effective way – a way that breeds trust and eliminates suffering. When a horse feels safe, they will voluntarily “join up” with their trainer by walking up to them and placing their muzzle on the trainer’s shoulder.  This is horse language for “I trust you.  I want to be part of your herd. We can totally work together.”

Martha’s teaching has resonated with me in a way that only the heart can understand.  I am slowing learning to speak my body’s language and my body is starting to notice.

The reunion has been sacred.

Lots and lots of love to you!

P.S.  I will  have matted and wood mounted prints of “The Reunion” available in the shop soon.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support.

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