Personal paintings become a part of the artist by guiding one's creative path. And like good friends, artwork can be difficult to say good-bye to when we decide to release our art into the marketplace. Sometimes this is because of sentimental reasons. For example, this watercolor my sister and I created reminds us of those …
Competing Priorities
Not every window of opportunity is worth flying through! Often when the world seems right for you to press forward with your dreams, enticing winds of change swirl and snap open windows of possibility. Creative feathers have grown into wings able to provide lift off, making it difficult to turn down invitations. So, you find …
Depression and the Artistic Temperament
If you’re an artistic soul, then you’ve battled depression, this enemy of soul. You’ve got this light, bright side most people see and admire, and then there’s the dark place only those closest to you know you crawl into at times. Berit Grogard D.M.Sci., Ph.D.’s article, “Positives of Depression on Artistic Expression,” presents a scientific …
Creativity as an Act of Worship and Sharing
Maybe, like The Little Drummer Boy, each one of us has a song to play as an act of worship… I have no gift to bring… That’s fit to give our King… Shall I play for you?… Then He smiled at me… Maybe the song is a form of creativity that not only makes God smile …
Continue reading "Creativity as an Act of Worship and Sharing"
The Fallow Ground of Creativity
Have you ever noticed that dry times tend to follow a creative project? I know I have. I can be on such an artistic roll painting or writing or songwriting, and then I finish the piece and my creativity comes to a screeching halt. I often experience these odd, unproductive times after a flood of …
Dare to Dream Beyond your Fears and Limitations
Dream is an artistic expression of my creative aspirations. What if we dared to dream of possibilities beyond our present skills or the obstacles life throws our way? Dream is a mixed media piece I created to express my desire to develop as a writer, artist, and singer/songwriter. I don’t know about you, but my fears …
Continue reading "Dare to Dream Beyond your Fears and Limitations"
The Art of Breathing
Sometimes life is about breathing deeply, enjoying the people who make life worth living, like family at my Aunt Nancy's 80th birthday celebration. And at other times, life is about gasping for air and holding your breath for as long as possible, and lately my lungs have strained from the lack of oxygen. You see, …
A Recipe for Creativity
The rumbling inside bubbles; a brook of new beginnings beckons. Creativity’s call to contemplate and create. Newness surges, rushes over obstacles I’ve allowed to stymie me, to close my art room door, when I’m on the wrong side. So I wrestle with all of my realities, I’m too busy…need to go to the gym…fix up the house …
A Life Cleanse
“I need a life cleanse.” My sister’s words caught my attention. Our discussion had begun with the topic of juice cleanses to eliminate body toxins, and then we’d moved on to removing obstacles to our creativity. Both of us had found ourselves drowning in a sea of requests, events, and requirements. We’d complained about the …