On Gratitude

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. “ —Marcel Proust

It’s easy to see what we’re lacking. It’s much more difficult to find the gifts in all of life’s moments and challenges. I’ve recently been focusing on shifting my perspective away from scarcity and towards gratitude and abundance. While there are many things big and small to pause and feel grateful for, here are the two on my mind most often lately:

Receiving. Support. It takes courage to ask for and receive support. I’m fiercely independent and self-reliant. But this year I need it. And I asked. Serendipitously, the right people and opportunities have started surfacing where I need them in my business and personal worlds. Beautiful, talented and caring people are organically forming this circle that is holding me. Building me up. Truly seeing me. And opportunities have arrived that are nudging me to expand. I am stretching myself to embrace receiving, to say yes and welcome what it brings. This simple act leaves me feeling more grateful and open to what the universe has to offer.

Finding hope and strength in the most difficult moments. These are the moments I really just want to curl up in a ball and hibernate from life. These moments knock you down and it would be so easy to just stay there. But instead you get up, brush off and find the opportunity for growth. I feel grateful for this spirit of hope and perseverance that naturally springs from me when needed. I sometimes think it has come from experiencing adversity in life.

I am putting my focus on gratitude, and sending a thank you from my whole heart out into the winds to be scattered far and wide.

This post is part of the Flying Lessons monthly blog circle. Hop to the next blog to read what my creative sister Laly Mille is feeling grateful for.

xo 

Guest Post On Laly Mille's Blog!

I am so excited and honoured to share with you that today I am featured on the blog of  a wonderful mixed media artist & soul sister across the ocean in France – Laly Mille. Laly is doing a series called Once Upon a Time… where she features chosen artists and gives a little window into their process and spirit. In today's post I share the journey of creating a cherished painting of mine called Breathe, and in it my own growth and awakening. Wander on over and see the guest post on Laly's blog. 

Laly's art is soulful and beautiful, so I know you will fall in love with it while you're there too!

With gratitude. xo

Creative DNA

I'm reading Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit. There are so many nuggets of brilliance in this book, but one in particular stuck with me recently.

We have creative DNA. When we are in tune with our creative DNA we see patterns and qualities span our work across media, specific qualities that make our work uniquely ours. These aren't taught or developed, they are a natural reflection of our way of being in the world, our way of seeing and experiencing life. Our creative DNA.

It's true.

[ late night scribbles ]

Part of the learning process is that we try on everything we see and like, but after awhile our own true voice starts to shine through and we define our own style. This kept me up a little while ago, my mind alive with thoughts and questions. Soon I was up out of bed, sitting at our kitchen table, pouring over my thoughts in the middle of the night. Here is what I found:

Who I am as a person and an artist has always been there. When I was a dance student I was busy making paintings with typography elements and moving bodies to accompany my choreography work. When I was a design student I was busy making my designs a hybrid of digital art filled with falling letters and typographic experiments. To this day I am yearning to integrate my art and design in new ways that feel right to me, and it sometimes feels a little elusive. I love the art I'm making and it feels right, but there's definitely more waiting to be realized (always will be). Here's what I distilled as I burned the midnight oil…

[ exploring my creative dna with late night journaling ]

Here's the core of my Creative DNA:

1. Movement - a feeling of energy and elements swirling and moving
2. Type
3. Organic and feminine lines and shapes/ intricate patterns
4. Rich saturated colour (not necessarily bright, but rich)
5. Tells a story, often a personal one
6. Touches a personal and human note
7. Uses graphic design principles (tension, lock, hierarchy, clusters, contrast, grid, white space, asymmetry)
8. Layers that fluidly blend into each other
9. Beautiful moments of messiness and incompleteness (juxtaposing tidy and raw)

If I'm working on a project or painting, and all of these elements are present, it feels right. That's how I know I'm being true in my process. There's endless room for my style to evolve, and it will, but my creative DNA will continue to be my guidepost. And so, my head is swimming with visions of tumbling type, intricate patterns, raw mixed media and emotive elements. It's all there, and it always has been. My studio awaits me!

Isn't learning about ourselves the most amazing and challenging life-long journey? xo

Little Inspirations

Here are some of my favourite inspirations from Pinterest lately. Spaciousness and richness. Intensity and softness. Complexity and simplicity.

 

[ credit: http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/picture/679267/ ]

 

[ credit: image found here ]

 

[ credit: image pinned from etsy shop InArtStudio ]

 

[credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/224898575113876268/ ]

All these little inspirations have a place in the creative's process. It's about taking a moment to breathe in the beauty and meaning it holds for you.

xo

Easy Holiday Shopping: PreOrder Greeting Card Gift Sets

Hello dear friends,

Give your friends a way to wrap their words in beauty. Using my most loved and most recent artwork, I've created six greeting card collections, packaged with all the beauty of a gift. Order by November 15 and have them in hand by December 9 – for hostess gifts, friends and colleagues, and family gift giving.

Here's How:
- View all six collections here (including additional images of one packaged collection).
- Simply email me the order form by November 15.
- Send payment via PayPal or e-transfer.
- Discounts for five sets or more. Full details on the order form.
- Email me if you have any questions.

*Note, I have also made my cards available for pre-order in my etsy shop in case you prefer to purchase online (though the list price will be higher, so take advantage of the good old fashioned order form if you can).
 
What better gift than one that reminds us how to connect with each other – inspiring us to reclaim the art of the written word.

I wish you all the best this holiday season.

xo