Synchronicity and Camp GLP

I went lookin' for some sweet inspiration-Joni Mitchell
 

Last August I traveled to New York to attend Camp GLP, a summer camp for adult creatives and entrepreneurs who want to align their work and personal lives with their common mission of making the world a better place. This is the great effort of Jonathan and Stephanie Fields of the Good LifeProject. Three days of immersion into presentations by "thought leaders", artists, authors, teachers, shamans, business people, yoga and mindfulness practitioners. This event was held at a beautiful location, was well organized and even the food was good. 350 or so attendees came from all over the globe to connect, to discuss, to collaborate. One of those attendees and I connected immediately in that way that makes you wonder about previous lives. We were fast friends. 

What my new friend could not have known when she snapped that picture of our clasped hands at the talent show, is that the reason I came was to try to find my reset button. To rejuvenate my soul after so much sadness and my business after neglecting it for so long. To find a clear direction for my art going forward. She could not have known that I have lost three siblings in less than two years, and that as two of them lay in their hospital beds asleep, I snapped secret pictures of our hands clasped in love and pain and support, knowing their time here was not to be long. 
 

She could not have known that I put those pictures away, in my files and in my mind, telling myself that some day, when I'm ready to do my serious artwork, I will paint them. She could not have known that her picture was the synchronicity I was looking for that day, having been guided by Shaman Monica Kenton in her morning workshop to be on the lookout for it. She could not have known it would wake me to the fact that it is time for me to do my serious work. My straight-from-the-gut-through-my-heart work, that will include those photos but not stop there, but continue to explore the touch of hands and the energy and the experience and the love that they hold.
 

And so I started my Touch of Hands series this fall, and it has unfolded in ways I did not anticipate, as I am allowing it to pull me rather than pushing it. I have completed six paintings so far, many of which have been gifts. I have plans for many more, and am exploring different mediums for their expression. 

As an interactive branch of this heart-based project, I have created a Facebook group, 
A Touch of Hands, where anyone who is so inclined can post their photo and story of this simple, common human act that means so much day in and day out. It is a celebration of all the things a touch of hands can mean. This photo was posted by Rick Charlie, and you can see his story about it there. I would love for you to join. 


My Artwork: www.ArtToLiveBy.com
Stencils: www.madstencilist.com
Find me on Facebook too! 

Sedona, Red Dirt and Energy

I have spent many years studying art and color. This just naturally makes me a student of the world and all of its wonders. Or is it the other way around? On my recent trip to the Sedona area, I was so enjoying hiking and just being with the amazing rock formations, feeling lighter than I had for a long time. We spent two days in the area, exploring a few sites deeply rather than frantically driving around trying to see everything. We came across a little-used short path to a wonderful red boulder just perfect for sprawling on and enjoying the view of the Courthouse and Bell Rock. It was the perfect setting for some stream-of-consciousness thought, observation and conversation...




If you look into the daytime sky and let your eyes relax (like one of those magic picture books) you will see what appears to be tiny energy particles (white with tails) dancing in all directions. One theory is that these visible particles are ORGONE, also known as prana, life force, ki, chi, mana, universal energy...etc.  Another is that it is "just" an artifact of our eye, a physiological response to conditions and not "real".
Either way, that makes it no more or less real than color, which only exists in light and is perceived as an artifact of the cones in our eyes. The tree isn't green, it is only made up of a material that reflects green in light. 



Interestingly, there are other responses to color that occur without our awareness. We as humans respond to beauty and color. We are touched by a beautiful sunrise or ocean view or landscape. We are calmed by certain colors, invigorated by others. This response is not just psychological; there are also physiological responses. Check out these articles for further exploration at About.com and The New York Times.

I was pondering this as I hiked around Sedona, surrounding myself with the fabulous red rock and dirt, the contrasting plant life and the happy accident of wonderfully cloudy almost-stormy skies. We are absorbing color as we are absorbing light. 

In a place like Sedona, we are exposed to more red and orange wavelengths. I think this absorption of color is part of why it has long been a place people have migrated to for healing. It is not just beautiful to the eye. It is healing in other ways we can't explain. In addition to that, it is known for several vortexes, or places where the earth is at it's healthiest that have an energy that can be felt by people.






So much is going on around and inside of us all the time that we forget to be aware of.  We can surmise that there is much more that we just aren't aware of. It tickles me to be reminded that there are so many wonders and forces at work. And by the way, those little particles looked denser in Sedona than at home in CA. Imagine that! Better yet, see for yourself. http://visitsedona.com/

In My Right Brain

The closest I get to a quiet mind is when I do blind contour drawings. This is something I learned quite a few years ago when I attended a drawing class based on Betty Edward's book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It was pivotal for me as an artist and has the beneficial side effect of disengaging the verbal left side by presenting the brain with an exercise that the right just takes over and dances through while the left brain relinquishes control and waits. Not always patiently, but it waits. And with practice you can train it to wait quietly and patiently with the added benefit of not only becoming a better artist but also increasing your powers of observation related to pretty much every aspect of your life. You don't have to be an artist to do this, and you will still benefit from it. 

Here's how:

Get a piece of paper or sketch pad. I like to use a big one so that I can scale the drawing to what I'm seeing. If that page looks too big and empty it is ok to draw yourself a square or rectangle that doesn't make you nervous. Use a soft, sharp pencil like a 2b 3b or 4b or one of those fine point pilot pens that glide along the page. If you don't have those, use whatever is available, but NO ERASER. You'll see why in a minute. 

Set something out to draw. That can be just about anything-it's great to just do drawings of opportunity. Place a flower in a simple vase or get a coffee cup or whatever interests you. Get comfy where you can easily see your subject and access your paper. Find a spot you want to start and place your pencil on the paper. You are going to follow the contours of the object with your eye and match what you see with your pencil. You are going to look only at the subject. Never at the drawing. Imagine that your eye is an ant crawling along the surfaces of your object, and you are following it with your pencil. If possible, try to do this in a quiet space. Someone talking or even a TV in the background will bring your left brain to attention. The point here is to engage the right brain fully. You will lose track of time and finish with a marked sense of well-being. 

At first, it's really hard not to cheat. You will want to sneak a peek. You will giggle. Go right back to not looking, unless you have traveled around that object for a while and are completely lost. Find your place and resume.

The more you do this, the more you will see. Follow whatever you see. You can set an order of things or travel randomly, it doesn't matter. Your drawings will look funny. Some of them will look really funny. Even your left brain can't judge that too harshly because, after all, you weren't even looking while you drew it. 

If you do this regularly, you will notice more about whatever is in your environment. An object will never be quite the same to you when you have observed it so closely, and that extends to objects that you come across and imagine drawing. This can keep you entertained in long check-out lines. As you develop your practice, try drawing your family when they are still or sleeping. Draw people in public. You will notice more about their demeanor, be more in tune with body language and facial expressions. Your drawings will be in better proportion, and will have a style that is just naturally you. Your essence will be present on the page, beautifully unfiltered by your own judgement. Your right brain knows how to do this, it just needs the opportunity. 

Seems I'm not the only one, and it looks like art as meditation is gaining attention and popularity. Have you noticed all the cool adult coloring books coming out recently? There is a great trend in giving yourself permission to just play. Don't think of it as wasting time-it may be one of the most important things you do for yourself. A recent article in the Washington Post explores this trend and some of the benefits of practice here.

And here's a great opportunity  

if you want to explore in paint! 

Barbara Ferrier, an artist whom 
I recently met at Camp GLP and online, 

has just launched her  

Mindful Painting Class 

that you can enjoy for free! Check it out.  

Wishing you a quiet mind, a little every day.

To see my artwork and creative business,  

check out www.arttoliveby.com

                 www.madstencilist.com

                 Find Me On Facebook!

What I've Learned About Grief

I wanted to share with you some of what I have learned through my recent loss of three siblings within a period of less than two years. It is my hope that somewhere in these observations, you may find a bit of comfort. 

Grief is a normal human emotion. It is as basic to us as love, and it has been said that the depth of our grief is equal to the depth of our joy. I have found that it underlies everything I think and do for a while. I try to lean into it and allow it to be with me while I move through my daily activities. I also give myself permission to not be as productive as I normally would be. Some days to not be productive at all. Cry when you need to cry. Reflect when insights strike you. 

Appreciate and find beauty, even if it is to touch a leaf. If you can get out into nature, it is so helpful, especially where there is moving water. Surround yourself with color that you love. Make a little shrine to the person that reminds you of the joy in your relationship. Let it shift and change as the weeks go by and be ok with putting those things away eventually. That will mean that their comfort is internal rather than external. Be exquisitely aware of the simple fact that you are here, experiencing the full range of human emotions. Allow the joy in your heart when you see something wondrous to coexist with the grief. It is not a betrayal.

I am an introvert, and am more comfortable avoiding social situations where I feel I have to either pretend things are ok or explain why they are not. Especially when it's raw, I tend to go where I can be anonymous or with only my closest friends. Be aware of your social comfort zone, and honor it as you are working through the grief. Spend time with people who love you and understand and support you.

Allow the loss to put things into perspective in your own life. It helps us realize how much time we waste on trivial matters and petty differences. 

In grief we intensely consider all of the lost persons qualities. We don't want the world to lose those qualities we admire so we try to hold onto them through integrating them and making them our own. We will not be the same. It makes us more fully human, and better humans for emulating them. 

Tell their stories. They have touched many lives in many ways. Let younger generations and loved ones know them through your eyes.

It is crucial to healing to forgive ourselves for the thoughts, words and deeds that we regret. Without that forgiveness, their memory will hold extraordinary pain. It honors them to forgive them and ourselves so that the warm memories and qualities you admire become the prevailing emotions you feel when you think of them. It allows their essence to be the part you carry with you, along with the sadness for missing them. 

If you are responsible for dispersing the belongings of your loved one, hang onto only what serves you, honors them and brings you comfort. Release monuments to pain. Getting rid of their stuff is not abandonment of the person, even if it is an object they loved. Do what you reasonably can to find good homes for things and let the rest go.

Be gentle and patient with yourself and don't expect to be able to shake it off.  Grief will take its own time. It will eventually be less painful. One day you will realize that for a few moments you "forgot" to be sad. Those times will become more frequent, and they will last longer. Your memories will become more bitter-sweet with time. You will never stop missing them, but there is something exquisite about loving so deeply, in realizing how important that person was to you, and experiencing the full range of human emotion.   

The Ripple Effect

We grieve together in the wake of the attacks on Paris. We grieve for the victims, but we also grieve for our loss of innocence. For our loss of trust. We are reminded that this kind of violence is happening all over the world and that all of these lives matter equally. We react even more strongly because it happened in "our world". The world where we can easily relate, where we frequently visit, where this kind of tragedy is a surprise. It was an attack on the culture of Paris, a culture we admire and many of us emulate. Somehow it feels close to home. Naturally, we want to "do" something.  

How we react is governed by our conditioning and our personalities. How we respond is a choice. I believe that violence begets only more violence, and that the calls for peace and love and compassion even for those who carried out those heinous attacks have some impact on the future. That what we can collectively "do" about it is to comfort one another in our grief, and to show kindness and generosity to those people displaced by recent horrifying events. To show compassion to one another as we grapple with the emotions such an event evokes, even if we disagree with their conclusions.

We must use the experience to be more mindful of where best to direct our own power. For some, that will inspire a great change and focus of attention, and I applaud those who feel so called to action. However, each of us has our part to play.

What we can do individually is to be more fully open to opportunities now and in the future to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We can educate ourselves more thoroughly about the causes of this great discrepancy in thought and beliefs, but we may never understand it. We can raise our children with greater tolerance and less prejudice than we have. We can be more attentive to the qualities of our potential leaders and place our votes with those who most closely reflect our own conscience. 

The greatest power I have is to make a difference to those I have access to. I can use that power by continuing to appreciate beauty and connection and to share that perception with others. I can teach with my words and my actions. I can comfort with my thoughts and compassion.

I know that what I can do is a drop in the bucket in the overall scheme of things, but I have seen and experienced the ripple effect and know that millions of drops in that bucket by millions of people, day in and day out, creates the wave that keeps the balance between peace and destruction. That wave reaches "my world", "your world" "their world" and all the world. It all matters, and it is all too close to home.