Intuition: Your POWERFUL 6th sense

I have used my intuition for many years in my work as a visual artist.  I consider this sense to be so important to who I am and what I do that I like to call it the 6th sense:  seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling, hearing and also intuitive thought. Gary Zukov, in his best-selling book "The Seat of the Soul" writes of the experience of a multisensory human being as one who includes intuition as the 6th of the senses. It is the mysterious power of "just knowing".

When you rely on your 6th sense, you know, deep inside, when something feels right. It may mean the right path to choose, an important decision that you know in your gut is right, or when to avoid a certain situation or even to avoid a person or group you may have encountered that needs to be left behind. 

A recent health issue that I experienced involved my intuitive powers, and I am grateful that it happened as it did, because it led to a diagnosis and improving my condition and getting well. I had been excessively thirsty for months on end, for no reason that could be found through testing. As my health deteriorated, I became weak and exhausted for days, unable to perform daily tasks. One evening as my husband was cooking dinner for us, it occurred to me that I would like to eat some potato chips. This was out of the ordinary for me, as I rarely eat processed foods. I found a snack bag of chips in the pantry, ate the whole thing, and to my utter amazement, two hours later I felt completely normal! A gift from the heavens was miraculously bestowed on me. This was the vital clue that I needed to take my health mystery to the next level. Salt made me feel normal!!!

Thank you, intuitive powers! The next doctor I visited used this important information to find a diagnosis and a medicine that would retain salt and fluid and bring me back to the life I longed for, to feel like a normal human being again. I am abundantly blessed.

Our intuitive powers have many uses. Listen to that message in your head to give you direction and guidance.

Curing Creative Block Syndrome

Over the past several months while preparing new pieces for a gallery art show, I learned a valuable lesson regarding how stress can affect creativity. I had a limited amount of time to come up with creative designs, and there was the unknown of how long it would take to actually complete a piece once the idea was conceived. I knew the deadline for completing the work but it was the other unknown factors that sent me into a tailspin.

The tailspin set the scene for the problem at hand: CREATIVE BLOCK. If you are a creative person of any kind, you know the agony I'm talking about. The ideas just won't flow. There is a vast emptiness in the chasm of ideas and thoughts that would otherwise come collectively to the surface in the form of a new creation. You sit idly in your studio, playing around with an old, unfinished piece, hoping something will click, and you'll be moving in a forward direction. But no, the days go by and as they pass with no productivity, panic sets in and you realize that what you are enduring is "block".

It's a vicious cycle. The inability to create plus fear equals creative block. FEAR is the operative word here. Without fear in the equation, we can concentrate on purposefully relaxing so that creativity can flow. I discovered the power of removing fear from the equation after doing a Deepak Chopra meditation called Manifesting True Success. I found that when I visualized creative energy flowing into my head and out through my hands and intentionally relaxing, that ideas began to come to me. I wrote the words, NO FEAR, NO PRESSURE, NO ANXIETY on paper and stuck it on the wall in a highly visible place in the studio.  It worked. I learned that it was important to be confident, to deeply KNOW that I would complete a body of work that met my expectations and that it would be completed on time.  And, it was and I did.

www.piedmontcraftsmen.com  Threads and Timbers beginning July 3, 2015  (above image:Three Dreams)

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Gifts From My Children

Soon I will be having a milestone birthday. Not an ordinary birthday, but one with a BIG number.
60!!! It hardly seems possible that so many years have gone by, and I would have to say that there is some truth to the saying that "the older you get, the faster time flies."

Our children have given me some wonderful and thoughtful gifts over the years. But the ones that have grown over time and become my most treasured possessions are the ones that they taught me. They are truths for all of humanity and should be every persons treasures. They are:

                                     EMPATHY.   COMPASSION.   HUMILITY.

Empathy. Understanding and fully comprehending another's feelings  This means having a deep and insightful comprehension, on a spiritual level of all that someone is experiencing. There is no judging, criticism, or condescending reaction to the individual. It is an act of pure love.

Compassion. A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering.  Throughout a lifetime, we all go though periods of great joy and also of great sadness. It's just the nature of living.  Some of us experience extreme suffering. Loneliness, isolation, self doubt, loss, illness, pain, addiction, and other difficulties leave us empty and afraid. A compassionate human being will reach out to someone in need and offer comfort wherever they can.

Humility. To have humility, one must be modest, not arrogant or prideful. This quality is achieved  by insightful observation of others. It is the realization that we are all born equal and we all go through life and die as equals. There is no one who is better because of money, power, status or achievement. There is no one who is inferior because of lack of wealth, rank, possessions or social status. We are all created with a purpose that is not measurable. We are created as equals and should be treated as such.

So, thank you my children. You have given me gifts that I wouldn't trade for anything in this world.

I am forever grateful for the blessing of you.

A Whole New World

Beauty through the Lens of the Camera

I have been computer printing my own digital photographs on cotton and silk for several months. It has been an exciting process, capturing imagery that can be transformed into fiber art. I never dreamed that the camera on my iphone could produce such high quality images, that I could load them into the photo library in my computer and then "tweak them" so that on fabric they become artistic magic. It's opened up new doors of possibilities for me and re-ignited my creative passions.

But, the most extraordinary thing that I have discovered, is that I see the world with new eyes now. 

A few days ago my husband and I got up before the crack of dawn and drove to the beach on the eastern shores of central Florida with hopes of capturing the pageantry of the rising sun. The beach here is special because the sand slopes ever-so-gently toward the sea, nearly flat, revealing a wide expanse of hard sand on which people run, walk, ride bikes and even drive vehicles. As the sun's orange head began to gently emerge above the horizon, I walked toward the water with the intention of capturing the pattern of a wave softly making landfall, swirling and turning, rolling with a foamy edge before receding. What I discovered was a profound beauty in the nuances of each wave, moving as if part of a symphony of clear water, its movement reaching and then folding back into itself, each wave a new pattern of flowing lines and bubbles. And that was not all! Everything in my midst was profoundly beautiful. There were tiny coquina shells in pale lavender and ecru, gleaming from beneath the froth of each new, drowsy swell. A lone shore bird waded through the shallow surf waiting expectantly for a gift from the sea. The rising sun sprayed beams of color over the skies to the east and the ground below.

In the past few months, had I not had been intentionally stocking my photo library with images for new fiber pieces,  I would not have come to appreciate the wonder and subtle beauty in all that surrounds me. There are patterns of dried winter grasses, bare branches against a stormy sky, shadows on the ground, leaves emerging for the first day of their spring life.

While I appreciate the camera and the insight it has given me, I have even more gratitude for what makes it all possible.

My eyes.

Many thanks to Nina Marie Sayre for generously inviting others to share. www.ninamariesayre.blogspot.com

Give Back

The paradigm shift that I experienced in January is reverberating throughout the universe! I am seeing the word GIVE everywhere. It's on posters at the YMCA, in magazine articles and part of conversations and interviews. I believe this sense of giving is being felt globally, and one that could rock the world.

As I begin to process this concept and what the impact potential could possibly be, I am excited about the possibilities. What if EVERYONE gave just one dollar every month to a cause they were passionate about supporting. Can you imagine the changes that could occur? What if EVERYONE did one action that affected someone or something in a positive way every month? This action doesn't necessarily require spending any money. Could you volunteer to read to children at the school, or could you rock preemie babies in the intensive care unit, or could you spend a day at the animal rescue center petting a dog or cat who's` waiting for a home? Think about what your resources are and make use of what's available.

Here's what I put together recently. Our son is a counselor at an inpatient substance abuse center for men. He called me one day and said that someone had a button that needed to be reattached to his shirt.
Of the many men that come and go from a facility such as that one, many will need a button sewn, a tear repaired or at the very least, have the need for a safety pin as an emergency measure. So I began to collect items from my studio and came up with a sewing and repairing kit to keep handy at the facility for all to use.  I included an easy to follow description of how to thread the needle and reattach a button.

This is a small gesture that gave me a large reward, knowing that I could make a difference in someone else's life.  So, now it's your turn. Dust off the engine and start the cog wheels a-turning....what can YOU do to

GIVE BACK?

The Power of Hope

A Paradigm Shift Changes Everything

Last week I read Belinda Dunn's fascinating, insight-fully written, astrological post for January on her site Astrodelight.com. Her global view of humanity from a planetary perspective fascinates me, and she is usually right on the money. And it really got me thinking.

My last post, a woe-is-me glimpse at a day in the life of an artist, was January-dreary, to say the least. But when I read what Belinda wrote, "Capricorn brings us face to face with what's not working in our lives, " it caught my eye. "The only intentions that have any real, lasting and contributing value are those taking into consideration the whole, aligned with higher purpose and potential for the entire planetary family." This is the month to "align, attune and adapt to your unique and valuable purpose, the great gift of incarnation." 

In 30 years as an art professional, I have learned a lot. Skills, techniques, experiences both triumphant and deeply disappointing, the joy of victory and the agony of defeat have come and gone as all things eventually do. How can I share the knowledge I now have and turn it into something productive? I have long been drawn to working with youth as a teacher and mentor. My 15 years working as a volunteer at ArtHaus, a non-profit children's art organization have reflected that commitment.(ArtHaus.org)  As I continue to read on, wheels begin to turn. "Aquarius is light, free and electrical in nature. It is like a thunderstorm coming to clear the air and reveal an unseen landscape." 

A paradigm shift is beginning to occur. I am beginning to see my value and purpose on the face of this earth changing. I now see that I can give my gift of creativity to the world, not only in the artwork that I create, but in the part I play in the life of a young artist who is beginning to bloom. I can be the teacher, the encourager, the nudger, the creativity un-blocker, the YES, YOU CAN-er! There is an ocean of young potentials out there, and I'm planning on doing my part to see that they realize their creative potential!

Light bulb moment!

PS blessings to Nina Marie for making it possible for us all to be connected

A Day in the Life of an Artist......

No one ever said that being an artist was easy. In fact, no one ever told me that being an artist was hard, either. But, I have found that at times, over my 30 year art career that it can, indeed be difficult. 

Why is it that in any arts related field, there are extremes of emotions? One month you are jubilant over getting that speaking part, selling a new piece, brilliantly creating that next chapter, and the next month you have hit bottom, feeling gut-wrenching defeat, questioning your own life purpose on this planet.  I have experienced the bottom feeder’s syndrome at times over the course of my career, but nothing like what I’ve been going through for the past 9 months.

As a visual artist, I have used sales as my barometer for continuing with whatever medium or style I am working in. Good sales means keep on cranking out the visual ideas. I have to admit that over the years I have changed styles occasionally because I became bored and needed a new challenge. I even changed mediums once, which was a really bold move.  

But this year is different. I have sunk so low that I am asking the universe if my life’s purpose is still to create art? Sales have been poor. I’m not sure why. But, I have heard similar reports from my artist colleagues. I understand that those who purchase my work have a specific taste, and can also afford to buy art at the price point  that mine is currently selling at, and that narrows it down to 1.3579 % of the population.  I have sold well in the past, so why not now? 

Is this the universe telling me to head in a new direction? I am listening for “the still, small voice,” but for unknown reasons, I can’t hear it.