Realize your artistic potential!
Like fine wine paired with cheese, the pairing of a song and a painting invigorate the viewer, sooth the soul, and revive resolve to live, to create, to believe! Pianist and composer, Deborah Keily Hanson, and I have embarked on a series of music and wine pairings. The first is Golden Butterfly of Chiang Mai. …
Have you ever found yourself in a tough spot? Maybe things didn’t go as you’d planned. Or maybe you feel trapped in circumstances beyond your control. Often life feels like rocks you’ve got to find a way to grow up and out of despite the seemingly impossible situations. I took the first two photos during …
Listen to the painting paired with the song that inspired her: https://youtube.com/shorts/hiGcKnbdlxw The story behind Deborah Keily Hanson and my collaborative project, Golden Butterfly of Chiang Mai, is so amazing that I wanted to share her account with you: “I was really inspired by your painting of the Rose. I have been dealing with long …
What are your creative blocks? For us artistic types, the battle begins in the brain. Not only in mastering skills needed for our art form(s). Fears of moving forward. Tendencies to devalue our own creativity time. Struggles to organize our creative spaces and art supplies. Insecurities over sharing our artistry with others. If you relate, …
I’ve always wanted a bigger garden than I could possibly manage. I’d scroll through Pinterest and ooh and ahh over archways and gates that beckon entrance, white-picket fences, and trellises that cradle ripening fruit. Yet, the demands of life and suburban living whittled my gardens down to a few raised beds. Tending a garden isn’t …
“You’d think with two photographers, and one who is also an artist, we’d have something on our walls.” My husband grumbled. 3 years has passed since we bought our home and still no wall décor. “We’ve both agreed on a wine country theme for the dining room,” I added apologetically, "since we live in wine …
“In order to learn the important things in life, one must surmount a fear each day.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Fear is a formidable creative block for many reasons and manifests in many forms. Here are a few I've encountered along my artistic journey. Fear of Failure Creativity requires you to venture into the unknown where possible …
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Trying to balance these three essentials can cause consternation for the creative. We want to be present for people, but not to the point where we don’t have time for our projects. Projects are important—from home improvements to artistic endeavors. Yet, life can’t just be all about projects at the expense of people. And then …
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It’s as if the two sides of my brain collide; the artistic, unrestrained, go with the flow crashes against my responsible self. Do whatever you want whenever you want wars with organize thyself. Chase after every idea butterfly as opposed to schedule a time to clean your toilet. Elya loves to paint butterflies! Paint away …
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Artist and writer, Diane Bailey, posted a painting on Instagram of a woman with angel’s wings, holding a red rose. The descriptor read: “The Soul of a Woman - and when she believed she was loved, she began to bloom.” When I read this, I instantly remembered a promise the Lord had given me when …
Years ago, I bemoaned my lack of artistic talent. Impatience percolated until the pour oozed with bitterness. I wanted to be further along than I was. I longed to be a published author, an extinguished artist, a person of influence, but the road ahead was long and rocky, and I was impatient. Then from out …
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I’m a creative with a divided heart, I love writing as much as I love art! “What must it be like,” I muse, “to be single eyed toward one focus? It must be wonderful to concentrate fully on one discipline." I marvel over other's Instagram homepages filled with a solitary love, unlike mine checkered with so …
Sometimes life is like a game of chess. Watch the animated video: https://youtube.com/shorts/10MYBAVNq6o You don’t know the next move. Your mind strategizes any inkling of direction, but all you hear is silence. So, you pray for wisdom, insight into the unseen, and imagine all the possible outcomes. But direction is shrouded with confusion, lack of clarity, …
There are times when your life’s canvas gets wiped clean. You find yourself faced with a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to do things differently. Maybe you’ve graduated from college, gotten married or divorced, lost your job, or changed jobs. Perhaps a loved one died, or an unexpected turn of events left you …
Self-doubt is an obstacle that plagues even the most successful creatives. Feelings of uncertainty about your abilities, purposes, and plans are quite common. So, if you’re called to be a creative, get ready to battle this enemy of artistic ambitions. Inspiration comes in waves with periods of calm when ideas recede. During these down times, self-doubt …
If all else fails, distract thyself! Some of my worst times of crisis resulted in my most prolifically creative seasons. That’s right. When I couldn’t find any more therapy appointments that worked or Twelve-step principles to apply, I simply dove into what I loved and transformed my worry, grief, and angst into art. I know …
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Let the holiday season begin! A time to decorate, celebrate, and play. Christmas is my favorite time of year! I enjoy getting out our decorations collected over the years. Every one of them reminds me of a memory I cherish. Many of our homemade decorations come from the years my sister and I had an …
Have you ever felt befuddled by desires that don’t fit into your plans? Or wanted something so badly but were hesitant because it wasn't part of your life plan?You set out to pursue one direction and another calls to you. Although this is can be disconcerting, I’ve learned to listen to the wooing of the soul. Often …
I open waymaker and caress the pages. I begin to read, and Ann’s words resonate through my soul: “When everything stills, you can see your reflection, see into the depths of your soul, see the contours of things.”Ann Voskamp Her words still my angst, calm the turmoil of doubt. “This is why I want to publish more …
I opened the door to see this adorable, little pig-tailed girl smiling at me, backpack on her back and arms folded. We spent the day at Peltzer Winery’s Pumpkin Farm in Temecula. No, I didn’t get any social media posts done. No, I didn’t work on my painting. No, I didn’t edit my manuscript or …
Sometimes life circumstances set us aside, and we find ourselves holed up at home: Caring for the sick Helping family Battling illness Managing home-improvement projects ________ (insert your reason here) Our normal running around turns into staying put. I’ve been thinking a lot about how what cocoons us also creates opportunities for art. "Chrysalis" by …
https://youtube.com/shorts/bFn623mXBGU The Great Affair is a mixed media portrait that encourages adventure and travel. I created the feature video above and was moved by a comment left on my Instagram post: So beautiful! It made me think about the way we, as artists, can travel far, all around the world even, through books and creating …
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Often the compulsion to clean out precedes new beginnings. Do you find yourself annoyed with your clutter? Disappointed with your decorations? Bored with your art form? The compulsion to clean out is a sign of personal growth to come. We must make room for the new; whether in our homes, garages, creative spaces, minds, hearts, …
Are you passionate about your art form; and yet, have another one calling to you? If so, you might be a crossover creative. Crossover A point or place of crossing from one side to the other. The process of achieving success in a different field or style. Perhaps you’re a writer who longs to dabble …
What is the deeper need? The pull that pushes past being an artist or writer or content creator or business owner. The longing to build something of lasting value, human benefit, eternal significance. This desire to delve into developing never departs for the artistic entrepreneur. I don’t fully understand it. In fact, I’m far from …
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Are there any other creatives out there who struggle with balance? I sure do! I imagine my efforts to hold onto all that I love as if they are balloons tied to strings that I'm grasping: I found this reflection in my book, Refrain from the Identical: Insights and Inspiration for Creative Eclectics, and thought …
Inspiration is like a feral cat.It stalks around in the shadows.You never know when it will grace you with its presence. When you're trying to catch it,inspiration slithers away. But when you give up the chase,inspiration comes and finds youwhen you least expect it to. It's a waiting game.An idea starts to form in the …
I carry the blessing in my writing journal, tucked inside the front cover like a hidden treasure map. My father penned the blessing and gave it to me at a time, unbeknownst to him, when I really needed encouragement. I was struggling with what my life’s purpose was all about when his blessing came: “Hi …
When it's time to let go... https://youtu.be/sdLkUwVo9C0
Check out my YouTube video to learn how to create this unique salt dough tea light holder: https://youtu.be/l-jD7SrTilw Salt dough sculpture is an inexpensive activity Here's some additional salt dough lessons you might enjoy trying: https://youtu.be/v1t3siymcPw https://youtu.be/RnIFXSjoDg8 https://youtu.be/IJ8WJf5u9fQ
The soul sings sweetly when gratitude graces gently. I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately; asking, "What does it look like in my everyday life?" Gratitude rests so sweetly in the soul; the very existence of which seems a miracle, the merging of our fragile human nature with God’s mother hen-like love. I'm pretty …
Hope grows in the most unlikely of places, searching out souls huddled in darkened corners of despair. I know, I’ve been there, and hope found me. So, I want to plant seeds of hope: Hope made possible by the gift of God’s grace. The surety of His trustworthy nature. His promise to never leave or …
Have you ever felt your life's destiny was quite random, like the path of a falling leaf? Have you ever wrestled with unexplained longings? "Destiny" is a poem that visualizes wanting something you can't fully describe or identify. This YouTube video , Destiny, reflects on those feelings: https://youtu.be/EvWp9U_xVpg
Those times in life when unforeseen circumstances force us to circle without a place to land. When we can’t seem to move past the moment. When our energy drains away so we have nothing left to lift us out of the doldrums When life severs our serenity. Tragedy. Loss. Illness. Disillusionment. Disappointment. Failure Everyone’s list …
This YouTube video will show you how to make a salt dough bread and fruit basket: https://youtu.be/sdmUYQ6peJs
Have you ever felt desperate for grace? Just a whisper from heaven to calm your angst? The assurance that everything is going to be ok? The Ringing of the Bells puts into words and images this cry of the heart. https://youtu.be/76NskJoH4m0 If troubles were akin to a turbulent sea crashing upon the coastline, perhaps we …
How interesting that when I am most stripped of thought and emptied of soul, eventually, the sighs rise inside, like ocean waves, and then roll through my pen. Something someone can relate to splashes onto paper; no guile, no posturing, just an honest description of a human dilemma. And when this happens, people relate, and …
Continue reading "The Mysterious Wave-like Nature of Writing"
I’m trying to find my way back to the reflective writer I once was. Funny thing is, she seems like another lifetime ago. I search for her in memories and imagine a woman who rose every morning to write. Yes, I sigh, she vaguely resembles someone I used to know but now aspire to become, once again. Her …
Have you ever felt overpowered by others' opinions, or found yourself withdrawing your voice to make room for the voices of others? If so, this poem is for you: https://youtu.be/Xi1f3EjFsxw As an artistic type, I've found other ways to express my voice when I find myself receding. Writing poetry, and then visualizing the poems by …
Insignificance: to small or unimportant to be worth consideration. Without power or influence. Have you ever struggled with insignificance? Felt too unimportant to be worth consideration? Wondered why what means so much to you means so little to others? What is it in the human soul that longs to be loved, to be heard, to …
There are seasons of silence when the soul goes deep, crawling into a cocoon. We feel the urge to withdraw. We yearn to silence the noise, to figure out the important, to explore the possible. And while in our cocoon, new beginnings crack open and sprout roots—fledgling desires that burrow into the unknown. READ THE ENTIRE POST...
Promethean, a mixed media, envisions creativity’s fruitfulness masked in human form. Like the mixed media’s namesake, Prometheus, we receive fire or inspiration from heaven and make something beneficial for humanity when we dare to create. Like the mixed media’s namesake, Prometheus, we receive fire, inspiration from heaven, and make something beneficial for humanity when we …
We toast and laugh and love, and moments together seem timeless, erasing the worries of the day. Hospitality is a gift my family enjoys because of the wonderful women who host or help the hostess. Everyone brings a dish or two or three and often someone brings a little something extra for the person hosting. …
The music of my artistic heart is mixed media. Here’s a diy post to show you how to make a mixed media piece using plaster cloth, pressed flowers, and rice paper. Texture a canvas with gesso and let dry. Then paint with soft pink and yellow ochre acrylic paints. Cut hearts out of plaster cloth and …
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"Besides, I have promises to keep." This sentence from Christine M. Grote's recent post, "Why do I Do This," captivated me. I poured over her words and then sucked them into my soul as if nectar from heaven. Here is an excerpt: "This is one of those days where I wonder why I do this. Do …
There are times when a writer cocoons—pulls silence over head and tucks chin into contemplation. She hides away on a post-Christmas day when others bustle about returning gifts. The hours seem endless as she meanders along lazy rivers of the mind, never leaving small spaces—a cozy bed, the nook of a couch, an office chair. Enclosures …
This is a post for all of you crafty angel lovers out there. I thought it would be fun to share some angels that my sister and I made when we had our arts and craft business called Heartwarmers. We designed simple patterns for the bodies that we made from muslin fabric. We sewed the …
My war with the squirrels took a recent turn. Here’s why. I planted; they nibbled until the new blooms disappeared. They munched on the Shasta Daisy leaves until only stubs remained. Oh and the botanist who insisted that marigolds repeal squirrels, not true. Those little devils uprooted the plants, nibbled on the roots, and then devoured …
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Spent a lifetime searching for you Unseen guide eluding grasp Only remnants of your presence Miracles seen in my past Yes the trail of all your wonders Strewn behind my tender steps Evidence of glory's sunder Though the path before me kept Blindly I will surely follow Seeking for your shrouded will Down through darkened …
Forging forward in following God’s will is difficult at best. At times, we do not clearly see the road before us. Like driving in a thunderous downpour, sights and sounds spook our senses and cause us to cling to the steering wheel with a white-knuckle grip. Doubts pummel our thoughts until we can no longer …
JoDee Luna Art 