Letting Go of Perfect

The past few weeks have flown by, with returning from a family vacation, to starting my spring session of Inside Out e-course, to reducing clutter in my home.

So I decided to take a much needed break and enjoy the sunshine with paints and my 2-year-old.  I have my paints ready and set out some for Kestan with his own book.  Ahh, great...everything is perfect.  The birds are singing, not a cloud in the sky, the flowers are in bloom and I'm enjoying a clean patio (that we worked all weekend on!)

But, Kestan had other ideas.  He wanted to paint on mommy's paper.  At first I could feel a sense of resistance creep up.  "But this is my journal," I thought.  I took a deep breath and let go of expectations that this was going to be the perfect moment for creating.

As we started painting together, this experience turned into a new assignment for my class participants, which included encouraging them to explore their unique brush strokes.

In fact, Kestan gave me a great idea on how to make cool strokes with an old toothbrush!

I could have easily given up, put all the paints away and gotten frustrated that my perfect moment was ruined.  But instead, letting go of the idea that I must find the perfect moment for creating, I ended up discovering new things about my little boy and myself.  I learned that I still have tendencies to be uptight, despite my practice in letting go and implementing more play into my life.  And I was reminded, once again, that Kestan is my true teacher.

We both got lost in the moment - together.  We played.  We used our imaginations.  We had fun!  And we created something that is imperfectly wonderful.  

Your Personal Reflection:  Do you wait for the perfect moment to create?  Does that moment ever come?  How can you practice creating more in the middle of things, while letting go of perfect?

Give Yourself a Gift

Do you want to dream big, face your fears and change your life?  

Do you want to nurture your creative being and let your artist within be fully expressed to the world? (Remember - we are ALL artists - even if you don't feel like one, yet!)

Do you want to learn how to use new art supplies and to play, play, play with paint?

Do you want to create without perfection, without a "right" way, and with lots of messes?

Do you want to expand the possibilities in your life and follow what lives inside your heart?

Do you want more balance, peace, serenity, relaxation and harmony every day?

Do you want to rid your life of physical, emotional and mental clutter, so that you can know the deeper part of you - the part that is present, connected and authentic?

Do you want to get to know yourself better and discover what brings you great meaning and joy?

Do you want to explore through writing and creative play, while connecting to a like-minded community of bold explorers - others who know exactly where you are coming from, (and have a chance to meet new life-long friends?)

Do you want to live freely - being the REAL you?

Sign-up for Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery and remember what it really means to create and fully live the life you love.  

Starts Monday!  (Enrollment is open until Sunday, April 4th, Midnight US Central Time.)

Your Personal Reflection:

What are you waiting for?  Feel like you have no time or money?  Email me about your concerns and let's have a chat.  livefreely@mac.com

On a side note:  I am taking a week off from blogging to spend quality time with my family on a vacation to the north woods.  I will return next week!  Please share the link to my e-course with anyone you think would benefit from this creative, mindful journey.


Those of you participating in Reduce Clutter; Create Space, 2010 Challenge:  We are wrapping up the March theme of conquering our clothes, and the loose theme for April is the kitchen.

One Small Change - The Month of Love

I love this time of year!  Spring is just around the corner, and yet, overnight we received a new dusting of snow and today the sky is gray.  A perfect excuse to stay home in pj's and get messy with paint.

  

My one small change goal for the month of February is to return to using cloth grocery bags.  They've been sitting in the backseat of my car and I keep forgetting to take them in.  I foiled my plan this past week when I found myself in the grocery store, yet again, empty-handed.  I felt bummed as I walked to the car holding three paper bags.

As a way to make it up to this poor tree and to stay creative every day, I decided to repurpose the bags into vibrant Valentine's Day cards!

I started with very simple supplies:  the bags, scissors, acrylic paint, water, brushes, scrap paper and magazines.

I put on my Ani DiFranco Pandora station and went to town covering the paper with a mixture of background colors.

I played with my brushstroke and added swirls on top.

I used white fabric paint (Tulip Matte) to add some texture.

After the paint was fully dry, I cut out a variety of hearts of different sizes.

Then, I used the colorful paper and hearts to make my cards.  Here I stitched an outline with my sewing machine and glued the painted paper to a scrap piece of card stock.

I cut the brown paper bag in card shapes and added fun sayings from magazine clippings.

I loved this project because it gave me a wonderful opportunity to slow down.  As I played with paint,  I enjoyed memories of how much I loved Valentine's Day as a kid.  I remember the excitement of decorating the boxes to collect candies and cards from the boys I had crushes on.  I thought about all of my friends and family that I care so much about.  I thought about my grandma, living in a nursing home, and that her biggest excitement of the day is when the mail arrives.

I'm so excited to write messages and send my colorful love notes the old fashioned way.  I'm happy that using paper bags wasn't a total waste.  (Although I'm still planning to use my cloth bags next time!)

Your Personal Reflection:  Receiving a handwritten letter in the mail is the best, and it rarely happens.  Think of someone you love and surprise them with a handmade love note today.  

Loving Messy

The recycle bin is becoming my favorite hot spot for finding perfect painting tools. Nothing around this house is safe from my paints!

As I continue making art every day, I am having a lot of fun being really messy. The more I paint, the messier I get. Feeling freer in my painting has allowed me to reflect on "control" and what that symbolizes in my life. Having Kestan has definitely been a great practice for me in letting go and not taking life so seriously. It's pretty hard to feel "in control" when I've got an almost 2-year-old calling the shots. And how can I be that serious when one of our favorite activities is playing with the fart machine? Now that's some quality homeschooling right there.

This painting acts as my reminder that I don't always have to feel "in control", and that lots of good can come from being messy. I am allowing myself to stress less, clean less, PLAY more and it feels amazing.

Your Personal Reflection: When do you let yourself get messy? Do something really messy today, and leave the mess for a while. Seriously, enjoy being a little out of control. Do something really messy...play in the mud, eat with your hands, finger paint, start a food fight... See how you feel when you allow yourself to stay in the mess.

Facing the Blank Page

For my art every day challenge, I painted this simple tree today. It is my visual reminder of how creatively alive and connected to the source I feel when I allow myself to slow down and be fully present. I can imagine myself laying peacefully underneath the branches, while soaking in the sun's warmth.

When I first stepped foot in the studio this morning, the paints, brushes, white paper and quiet space felt a little intimidating. They told me to go find something "easier" to do, like cleaning the kitchen or starting a grocery list, or reorganizing the art room (again). I chose to ignore those voices and instead, I stayed there, BEING in the space. Breathing in the stillness. Not sure where to go. Feeling a little uncomfortable.

And in this uncertain space I found myself drawn to this painting that my toddler, Kestan, created a few months back.
Look at how free his brush strokes are. I love how vibrantly alive it feels.

His painting became my inspiration today. It helped me face the blank page. It reminded me that I, too, can let my brush strokes free, and that playing with paint, without being attached to any particular outcome, allows me to create from an authentic place. I'm very happy that I chose space, rather than filling it with my "to do" list. Because it's in the SPACE that the true magic happens.

Your Personal Reflection: When do you let "should's", "have to's" and self-generated "to do lists" keep you from doing what you love most?

Become a Bold Explorer of Your Life

I love getting my hands dirty. When I make art, I make a mess. I can't help myself. And the messier I get, the better I feel. Just seeing chalk or paint or glue on my hands sets my creative energy on fire! I become totally IN the moment. I feel connected. I feel alive.

Today for my "art every day month" challenge, I started sketching logos for my upcoming e-course. With some white paper, a couple of brushes and black paint, I played around with some rough doodles.

I'm so excited to be at this stage of my class preparation, because although I've been focusing on developing it since June, it has truly been in the works most of my creative life, and I'm SO excited to share it with you.

This soul e-course is 4-weeks long, running from January 18th - February 12th. It's a wonderful opportunity to discover more about YOU, release old fears, celebrate new dreams, nurture your creativity, and will inspire you to express your vibrant brilliance more fully into the world.

Inside Out™:

A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery through Personal Art Journaling

We are living during some challenging times. Fear, worry, anxiety, and confusion can make us feel completely depleted and stuck. NOW is the time to become a BOLD explorer of your life.

In this course you will:
*connect with a like-minded, supportive community
*deeply learn more about yourself

*set powerful intentions for a new year (and a new life!)
*discover thought patterns and learn techniques to fully expand to your greatness
*define your values, creative & life goals, and learn how to take action to make them real
*play with paint, doodle, collage and more, turning a blank journal into your vibrant guidebook
*receive personal life and creativity coaching

*feel more creative, more clear, more alive

*participate at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home

You will receive:
*weekly guided meditations (audio podcasts)
*daily writing exercises, art prompts and self-discovery techniques & inspiration
*yoga and breath techniques & guidance
*weekly LIVE journal jams with the community
*and more surprises...

OK...this is simply a SNEAK PEAK...a taste of what's to come. Take a moment and sign up to join my mailing list and you will be the first to know when this class is open for registration. Just fill out your name and email address on the top right of this page.

No more hesitation. We CAN live more BOLDLY, FULLY, FREELY. Let's do it together.

(p.s. NO art or yoga experience is necessary!) ...a beginner's mind is a good thing!

Visit www.freespiritknits.com to learn more.

Your Personal Reflection: Are you ready to OPEN your heart and give yourself the gift of a creative adventure?

Playing with Paint

Keeping creating each day as a priority, I worked on some background pages in my journal today. These pages are just calling out for more images and words and texture and layers, however, I'm happy to let them sit in stillness for a while.

This next painting was magically produced by my 21-month-old artist. He likes to paint when I do, which is great for both of us!

Your Personal Reflection: When have you given yourself some quiet time to nurture your innate, child-like intuition, and let yourself play with paint?