This blog plays a part in my success, because it captures some of my creative processes, dreams, experiences of art and life, as a daily practice, I share with others. Since my creative processes are often done in isolation, my blog is a way for me to interact with others, which in turn helps me to network, connect and share!
After some difficult months and major changes, I spent some time soul searching, reestablishing boundaries, redefining goals. My definition of success needed to be adjusted, tweaked and changed at various times in my life. What I defined as success in my twenties, looks very different from what success looks like in my fifties!
In the Native American tradition, there is no word for art, because it is in every aspect of daily living and life. That’s how I wish to live my life, not with art being something separate, but as something that is a part of my life, like nature is, family is…because art is not separate from me! It is the authentic me. This is the formula used to define my success.
(“Define Your Success” – 5″x7″ – Mixed Media/Paper)
So a major part of defining my success is creating art, selling art, living with art and letting others know how what this means to me and what it can mean for them. I would like to reiterate: this is how I make a living! I love sincere compliments, who doesn’t like hearing pleasantries about something they’ve made?
REMEMBER, it is cash, that pay the bills, feed my family, gas up the car, pay for health insurance and allows me to continue being me. This is my economic circle of life.
All of the above makes me a success! How are you defining your success? Are you allowing others to define success for you? Forge your own path.
I am in the middle of my life, my children are long from babyhood, my youngest will leave the nest in two years, and my eldest is creating his own wisdom, apart from mine. Where the preciousness of life takes on a new meaning, because I may be closer to an ending than a beginning. Why do I write this?
As an artist, I gravitate toward the visual; it’s just my particular way of interacting with my world. With so many things, to catch my eyes, I am in a constant state of over-stimulation and creating art is the passionate thing that calms me down. It is the constant, throughout my life that I believe keeps me interested, sane, stable and alive!
“Art is an articulator of the soul’s uncensored purpose and deepest will” - Shaun McNiff
Art influences every part of my life, not just in the pictures I create, but it draws me to others who create as well, whether their form of expression is dancing, writing, performing, healing, meditation, etc. They are all forms of art…people creating something that is a manifestation of themselves to give to the world, a beauty that only they can give.
My life is changing, and I want to commemorate this change. No, it’s a change that society may remark upon, but it is a change that has long been coming, a change from being just a child, woman, wife, mother or sister. I am becoming my authentic self! You might ask, well, who have you been all these years?! I’ve been all those labels, I’ve just mentioned…totally embracing, living and being in them, because they were necessary.
Those labels defined me and I made decisions based on those labels. I absolutely do not regret the decisions or the labels! But, I can no longer just be that. I must listen to my intuitive voice and follow it’s leading, with my life force, in order to make this physical journey true to what I am. So this perennial journey has become more than a whispering, it is my new art, my new self!
The labels are still there, but in a very different sense. My perennial journey is drawing out shapes, images and memories that may not belong to me, personally, but that will fashion a self-portrait to engage in my process of self-discovery; that is so essential to the discernment of my calling to authenticity. I use my art to bring me in line with my calling. Through it I have access to timeless sources of wisdom in myself, deep drives and memories of who I really am, who I am becoming.
I am changing…needing authentic people to grow along with me…I am changing.
Such are my perennial thoughts on this hot summer night…
I want to profusely thank Andrea Pratt for her beautiful talent and inspiration, she has shown me how a soul can travel through her art. I appreciate her help and direction in creating these memorial images.
In peace to you and yours.
Note: These images are a part the background of my memorial portrait of my sister, Renee Marie Bryant – (Feb.10, 1960 – June 27, 2011).
The word for this week at Illustration Friday‘s website, is “safari“. Unfortunately, my current safari adventures with exotic wild animals are at the zoo! One day, I will go to Africa, the Amazon, China and India to see exotic wild life. Hopefully, they will not be extinct!
During my safari to the Philadelphia Zoo(click on the zoo link to find out more about Maya and friends) in March 2011, I visited the snow leopards and polar bears!
As I watched, Maya, the snow leopard, I was mesmerized by her spirit! So after sketching and taking photos, I came back to my Studio Nookery and created this piece, entitled, “Maya’s Spirit” (14″x 12″- Mixed Media/Paper) She is a part of my “Animal Totem” Series.
There are many cultures that have myths and legends where animals are the main characters or play an important role in teaching important life lessons. Animal Totem characteristics for Snow Leopard are: Sensitivity, Agility, Strength and Mystery.
Life, itself is a journey, as we travel through it, we gain the knowledge and tools to make it our own unique safari! Peace to you and yours.
There is not one aspect of life that does not require a journey. It may be the physical act of a journey, a mental journey, an emotional journey or a spiritual journey. It is a fact, that a learning process can be had by any and all journeys, you just need to be open to the lesson(s).
Make all your journeys count, because in life, destination always looms big before you.
May all your journeys lead you to your ultimate self actualization.
My soul has an absolute and relentless need for trips into enchantment. It requires, enchantment like the body needs food and the mind needs thought to survive.
But, I am bombarded daily, by a culture who prides itself on disapproving and explaining the sources of enchantment. Our society is always explaining away every mystery, one after another, under the guise of sophistication, the need to grow-up and the need to appear intelligent. As if indulging in the imagination, is not any of these things!
I often wonder, is this why American culture is so obsessed with the fear of aging? Instead, we only need to hold on to all things that keep up carefree, naive and questioning…the magic of enchantment.
Feeling philosophical or not today, cultivate your enchantment…daily…it improves the quality of life.
On my artist date today (a date with myself and art, outside my studio); I ran into an old acquaintance. It was a brief and lovely encounter. But what stood out to me, was when she asked me, “How are you?” I blurted out that I was in flux. When I saw her puzzled look, I quickly smiled to put her at ease, since the word “flux” sounds chaotic to some. Yet, it best describes where I am right now.
The word, Flux means “continuous change, instability; constant movement. I sometimes take the meanings of words from the dictionary and in order for it to have meaning and relevancy to my life, I add a spin on it. Flux is one of those words.
Why, because when I think of continuous change and being an adult, over 50, flux can be a scary word! The unknown is still scary to us of a certain age, because now when we come up against it when we feel vulnerable. Vulnerability means no defense mechanism and damn, that’s even scarier.
But I’m looking at this another way, flux as being vulnerable. Vulnerable is the beginning of being open to change, continuous change…flux. I am embracing flux, as a challenging, exciting adventure, for which in the middle of my life, I am so ready for!
Embrace your flux; you earned the right to be vulnerable, it may be leading you to a higher level of self awareness.
In peace.
P.S. Brene Brown at TED, looks at “vulnerability” and why it’s a great thing!
Learning for me is always an experience of wonder. I’m a life time learner, and will continue to do so well in my 90s! Why, because I don’t have all the answers, and when I don’t, I ask questions, lots of them.
Shaky= tending to shake or tremble; liable to break down or give way.
Two weeks in a row, the IF prompt has hit home! Ahhh…the irony, of it all.
Right now, with limited time and very blocked artistic ability, I thought of the epitome of shakiness… blocks. The precariousness of them, much like life! The joy of playing with blocks and the scariness of them falling over. Child’s play is often a metaphor for life.
This week, let’s play, because life is shaky enough. Peace.
“As life unfolds, there will be times you will get played.”
So many images unfolded in my mind, when I saw this week’s Illustration Friday prompt, but with so little time and simple materials at hand, I decided that sometimes simplicity says it best.
As always, I leave you with the seeds, you provide the interpretation.
Subtraction is an odd word to illustrate, especially while living in a culture where “more” is considered better and I see daily how that’s taken over the top! Maybe taking away is an answer, not a punishment.
My thoughts on Illustration Friday’s word, “subtract” led me to the image of a Geisha, where I subtracted the background, to make you more conscious of the individual. The simplicity of beauty is evident, but a paradox, in the way I’m using it, since Geishas, wear many added layers of clothing.
So in this image, you can think about the addition of many garments or the subtraction of environment. There’s a lot to ponder in a paradox…or not!
Whether you subtract from life or add to life, it is the living that must be done. Happy Week…Peace.
This blog plays a part in my success, because it captures some of my creative processes, dreams, experiences of art and life, as a daily practice, I share with others. Since my creative processes are often done in isolation, my blog is a way for me to interact with others, which in turn helps me to network, connect and share!
I am in the middle of my life, my children are long from babyhood, my youngest will leave the nest in two years, and my eldest is creating his own wisdom, apart from mine. Where the preciousness of life takes on a new meaning, because I may be closer to an ending than a beginning. Why do I write this?
The word for this week at 
There is not one aspect of life that does not require a journey. It may be the physical act of a journey, a mental journey, an emotional journey or a spiritual journey. It is a fact, that a learning process can be had by any and all journeys, you just need to be open to the lesson(s).
My soul has an absolute and relentless need for trips into enchantment. It requires, enchantment like the body needs food and the mind needs thought to survive.
