Wisdom of the Bloggyhood Community

So today I was on a work road trip, and thinking about all the responses to my post about Art Gone Amuck. What a fabulous group of folks you all are. Thank you all so much for your helpful comments. I decided the wisdom list should be shared, so I listed the ideas you all suggested for artistic renewal. The list is already 28 ideas long!

So far I have been enjoying the break from the studio. I have walked, gathered things in nature with shapes, textures, colors, line and pattern. I see inspiration in all of them. I did make it back to the bookstore, and have “new” books on an artist I did not know, a how to watercolor book with great examples of color and shapes, a vegetarian cook book, and a book of photography. House cleaning was suggested. I cleaned our coffee maker – with a toothpick. I don’t play music, but I have listened to music that felt right. I have been reading, writing and thinking. I’m sure I will explore some of the other ideas before my break is over. I had envisioned a one week break, but that is open ended.

Sometimes a blog post will resonate in a profound way. That happened for me yesterday. I went to the blog of India Flint - Not All Who Wander Are Lost. I was so touched by her words, I asked if I could let you know about her post, and she agreed. The link is here. I’ll start you off with the first bit of her post:

“the older I become and the less time it seems likely I shall have on this beautiful earth the more I realize the importance of taking more time to be slow about the things I do
and to engage with the whirled
to take time to appreciate that string of pearls that is “the moments of now” that scatter like raindrops on a river as we wander our life journey”

This blog links me to my art group – all of you. And I appreciate our time together.
Here is your wisdom:

take a break
go shopping for more supplies
walk
go to the beach
ride out of town on the top deck of the bus
go to the garden
play the piano
make soup
try something vibrant
browse and read
find solace in the saxophone
think
look
gather
reload
do photography
try Tyla Tharp’s “box approach”
persevere through the frustration and change to a time of reward
read
write
think
go walkabout with a camera
meet with your art group
view art on line
clean house
do a crossword puzzle
read a novel
visit an art museum

It was high time I took a studio break, and already good things are happening.

In The Bones

I don't have new art to show you today, so here is a photo of my studio assistant. He becomes quite insistent on my attention at times. So far he hasn’t jumped into wet paint….

In The Bones

I’ve just returned from an intensive work shop, and as usual I find it a bit of a challenge to reenter my customary life. This is in part because I have been changed by my experience, and in part because in the juice of a workshop, life is surreal, expanded, and intensified.

This was the 5th in a series of courses that, for me, began last summer. My class was called “In the Bones”. Yummy title, yes? I am renewed in my belief that each of us is unique, and that we have something to say. We are all tapped into the same life force, but what we bring from that is our unique expression of the deep well. Our intuition is our powerful guide to our biggest, most fulfilling life. The tools we talked about and experienced are authenticity, connection, aliveness and fierce courage. All of these attributes are ours to develop, and use in speaking our own resonating creative voice.

We spoke of and experienced breaking the rules, for the sake of greater authenticity, and being pushed to the edge where the possibilities exist. We spoke of trust and taking risks from the place of trust. I do trust my own creativity and my own process. I trust that my expression is through me, not of me, and is part of the flow. Just today I received an email from a fellow artist who said to me “Do not be afraid to take risks.” I know he speaks from experience.

Your own creative voice is with you at all times, as is mine. I am turning up my courage and following my expanded vision. And part of that is fueled by the connection I experience with other like minded people here in blogland.