Mark Making: Layers of Surrender

clockwise from top left: acrylic on heavy weight paper;
gesso & blue; etching; adding green with brayer roller

The other day, inspired action led me to clean my art space. A clean space called me in...

Spontaneous, playful mark making!

I had no plan. I just grabbed new colors, tools and materials as I went. One split decision led to another. I detached from the end result and surrendered to the process.

I guess I like how it turned out, but honestly, I don't even care. It just felt so good to get my hands in the paint, to spill my soul in colors and shapes on the page. It felt so good to just act without over-thinking, to be completely in the moment! It felt so easy, so free. The stress of many days melted away.

creating repetition with cork stamp; finger painting;
more etching; adding color with a palette knife

I'm not sure why I felt the need to do so at first, but ignoring the painted fingerprints all over my phone, I snapped a photo of each new mark as it was made. I documented each layer as my art began to unfold in front of me, realizing as I went that it would be the perfect thing to share here...

mark-making, 
soul-shaking, 
layers of surrender... 

collaging with scrapbook paper; adding found paper;
painting with a detail brush; rubber stamp pattern

I still have so much to learn about this whole surrendering to the processes thing, both in art and in life. Allowing myself to experience that surrender, on a small scale, somehow affirmed that I can do it on a grander scale.

Art gives me courage and faith. 

Universe, I hear you loud and clear! This is exactly why my creative practice is important!

doodling with a maker; adding lines with a plastic card;
painting highlights with an accent color; more collage

All this spontaneous play time, by way of inspired action, not only reminded me of an important lesson but also birthed a project idea which I will be sharing soon.

Thanks to the Universe for seeing the big picture and sending this inspiration my way, because I so so needed it.

Thanks to my creative spirit for answering the call.








The finished piece...

mixed media on paper 9"x10"
"Inspired Action"

Inspired Action

sneak peek of my inspired action play time

A dear creative friend of mine turned me on to the idea of inspired action recently. I haven't been making much progress on my have-to or my want-to do list lately as I've been in my usual Fall funk (with a dash of overwhelm and some self-imposed stress brought on by some big changes coming my way.) So sitting on the couch yesterday morning like the lumpiest lump, I decided to put inspired action into practice.

The super awesome part is, the first step requires self-soothing. So I went to my beloved oceanfront yoga. I rode my bike the long way home on the bay. I came home to my journal, a cup of tea and a pep-talk from my husband. (OK, I went all out, but really a nice bubble bath, a quiet walk in nature, or even just ten minutes of sitting and breathing counts as soothing. Do what works for you! I spent a lot of time stressing this week, so I knew I needed a heaping dose of self-care.)

Step 2 (equally as awesome): Let your heart guide you. What action calls to you? What desire needs fulfilling right this minute? This could be a baby step towards a goal or project, something on your to-do list, or maybe a little more self-care. It can also very likely be something random like getting the feeling that you should call a certain person or the nudge to jump in your car and drive somewhere you hadn't planned. What feels meaningful, sounds fun, intriguing or inspiring? What random thought just popped into your head? You'll know you've got your inspired action in mind when your whole body screams, "Yes, go do that right now!" It won't feel forced. It won't feel like an inappropriate use of your time. You will just know in your gut that it's the thing you need to act on to keep yourself in your happy place or to unearth something fascinating. It will be the obvious next step.

After my morning of self-care, my whole body screamed, "Go clean your art space right now!" Not totally random, but I'd been putting it off for weeks, and no art was getting done as a result. It wasn't on my list of priorities for the day, but all of a sudden the task didn't seem so tedious and I knew I had to act while I had the urge. Within ten minutes, I found myself with a clear art desk and was just itching to put it to good use. My next inspired action- to play with my paints and collage papers! And I was beside myself delighted to get an idea for my next creative project out of it! (Will share more about that soon.)

So how does inspired action work? The soothing acts of self-care will rejuvinate your spirit so your ego mind is no longer in control and attempting to take planned actions. When we make space to rejuvenate our spirits, we also clear space in our hearts for guidance. We are able to see through the overwhelm (or uninspired laziness  in some cases) and know exactly the next step to take. Doing the inspired action will energize us and will lead to the next inspired action!

"Inspired action works because your ego can only see limited terrain while the universe can see it all. It comes from the bigger picture, which you can't always see until you've taken the actions you're being inspired to take." ~Dr. Joe Vitale

This is exactly what I experienced when my new idea was born! I'm so glad I trusted my intuition.

I'd love to hear your stories of inspired action. What do you do to soothe yourself and what inspired actions has your heart guided you to? What surprising insights came from those inspired actions?

To Be Like the Shore

I sat on the beach today contemplating the impermanence of all things.
Yes, I realize there are more fun things to do at the beach, but the honest thoughts creep in when the waves drown out other sounds.

This I know:

The sun will slip behind the wet horizon.
The couple will move out of frame.
The warmth will leave the air.
What once brought us joy will shift and turn and change.

And things that are beyond our knowing will soon be illuminated.

It is a bittersweet release, this understanding.
A quickening of the heart, a resistance of the mind.
I wish I could practice graceful acceptance and unwavering faith.
Instead I morn a million losses, having grown so attached to the way things are.
The way we are. The peace and ease.

Oh, to be like the shore.
To welcome the waves and let them shape me.
Surrendering to the natural ebb and flow.
Change washing over.
Existing in a state of flux.
Oh, to be like the shore...

With Love

photo by Rodney Bowman

You hold in your mind 

the power to envision great things.

You hold in your hands 

the energy to accomplish great things.

You hold in your heart 

the greatest thing of all. 

And with it, anything is possible.

Go with love.

Surrender to the Wilderness

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition...What you'll discover there will be wonderful. What you'll discover there will be yourself." ~Alan Alda

I am taking an e-course called Making Space for Surrender by the brilliant Hannah Marcotti. It is perfect Universal timing. I'm needing some support with surrendering to the changes that are coming my way. Yes, sh*t is about to get reeeeeal, and I'm feeling more than a little resistant. I will put it all into context for my readers soon- once I know what the actual changes will look like, but for now I'd just like to share my place on the path.

As part of the soul work for the course, we have been asked to do some visioning (think flipping through a magazine to unearth the images and words that speak to you in the moment) in response to the prompt "What is the feeling behind surrender?"

I've been staring at this magazine image for days, trying to articulate why it spoke to me, and today at the end of my yoga practice, it dawned on me. Though it's not yoga attire, that is clearly the bottom half of shavasana pose...also know as final surrender. In yoga, this pose is intended to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit at the end of a practice. It allows you to integrate your yoga practice into your daily life. I had a super delicious aha moment when I realized that my visioning and journaling around this image are allowing me to take a pose of surrender in my mind! I am done fighting against the inevitable. I am ready to integrate surrender into my life.

That image and that quote are what surrender feels like for me. Release. Letting go. Leaving the city of my comfort and trudging deep into the wilderness of my unexplored intuition. It feels like I've been hiking for too long in not-so-sensible shoes, and I've finally given up the struggle and lay down in the undergrowth. I decide to rest and allow the wild unknown to consume me. I surrender to the flow instead of fighting it.

What I know for sure (cause I'm learning it in a big way through life experience right now) is that we have to leave our comfort zone to surrender. Often, that "comfort zone" is actually a space of resistance that we fall into when presented with challenges. It is a place of familiarity and safety. But it's also completely in conflict with the flow.

Do you find yourself clinging to what feels safe and familiar? Do you catch yourself resisting change? Struggling with it? Turning it into a negative circumstance? I can answer yes to all of these questions, especially lately. Now I'd like to ask myself just one more question:

What amount of change that is out of my control, what mysteries and unanswered questions, what uncertainties must I face before I will trust that my intuition will guide me in a good orderly direction?

That is what I'll be pondering as I take off my shoes and allow myself to lay back into the wilderness,
in complete and total surrender- at least for a few deep breaths at a time.

Into a Vast Unknown

Something about this little scene stopped me in my tracks on my bike ride today.

Two kayaks sitting on the shore, side by side, primed for adventure. Potential resting on the paddles.

It reminded me of us, my love,
preparing to push off from a familiar shore into a vast unknown.

Our toes met comfort on the bay. We found such treasures here. But the tide pulls us in now, tugging softly at our dreams. It's time to find our courage and our strength. It's time to paddle out and explore.

How different life feels when we view it as an adventure rather than a series of challenges and uncertainties.

Primed for adventure, you and I, side by side. Potential resting on our hearts.

The Bougainvillea and the Moon

The pup and I took a long moon walk tonight. A bright full moon and the last eclipse of the year...I needed to bathe in that celestial light, to be in that energy. It became an expedition, an evening nighttime photo walk, an effort to document my date with Mr. Moon.

In astrology, eclipses are said to encourage progress when we are feeling stuck, to create bold changes that we cannot seem to make ourselves. The full moon is a time to take action.

Any other month, I might have missed it, but this month I've been paying special attention. All signs point to changes coming, things that I cannot avoid. I've been slow in accepting it all. Perhaps this is the Universe giving me the nudge I need. Perhaps this eclipse was just for me.

Tonight I breathed in the unseasonably warm night air and contemplated surrender. I thought I had a battle cry left in me, but the howl got stuck in my throat. Instead there was a silent reverence. This is all so much bigger than me, and at the same time it's so much a part of me.

The moon walked me home and gave me these delicate ruby red flowers. We made a date for next month. Wondering where I'll be.