Art = Magic.
Art heals.
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| Image by Catherine Nash |
"It seems to me that a creative act, in any field of endeavor, really does, after you take a good look around, have to begin with a leap of faith. Maybe being alive at all is a profound leap of faith. Faith in yourself, faith in some greater web of minds and being and continuum you are a part of that will catch you when you fall......faith in the sheer beauty of the process, faith in what you'll learn from it when you're (theoretically) "done".
I've been applying for residencies this coming summer, feeling a deep need to get on the road for a while, and to be somewhere where I can again be in Flow, to open to the creative energies within and without once more.
Among them I applied to the magical IPark, near Devil's Hopyard park, in Connecticut. In 2005, when I was last there, at I Park Artist's Enclave it was the custom for residents to leave behind a recipe for a cocktail. Because I spent a month utterly blissed out in a creative fury there, my contribution was the "Artist's Oracular Cook Book", cards I made with commentary on the back. They later evolved into the Rainbow Bridge Oracle, but I still like them a lot. They remind me that art is Magic, that art can heal, and that it really is basic and simple.
I put the collection away in a box a number of years ago, feeling it was naive and silly. In taking a look at this little book from that magical month again, it's as if a fragrance has drifted in the window. I realize I am revived - a previous version of myself is giving the woman I am currently a reminder.
Among them I applied to the magical IPark, near Devil's Hopyard park, in Connecticut. In 2005, when I was last there, at I Park Artist's Enclave it was the custom for residents to leave behind a recipe for a cocktail. Because I spent a month utterly blissed out in a creative fury there, my contribution was the "Artist's Oracular Cook Book", cards I made with commentary on the back. They later evolved into the Rainbow Bridge Oracle, but I still like them a lot. They remind me that art is Magic, that art can heal, and that it really is basic and simple.
I put the collection away in a box a number of years ago, feeling it was naive and silly. In taking a look at this little book from that magical month again, it's as if a fragrance has drifted in the window. I realize I am revived - a previous version of myself is giving the woman I am currently a reminder.
Open a door for Mystery.
And sometimes, the
Miraculous.
"As you come near the glass, she approaches from the other side to meet you. You lift your pen, and she raises hers to touch its tip in the other world. You begin to move your hand and words form on the glass on her side, on that other side. Patiently, you now follow her pen; you hear what she is writing, but dimly. You can see a little bit into the images she is creating. Can you read what she is writing? Is the glass clearing, can you collaborate?"
Felicia Miller
Sometimes you are a beacon.
More than you can imagine is possible
when you believe that it's possible.
Imagination is the confluence
of possibilities
the Beginning Place
Be Contrary.
Be capricious, liminal,
walk the borderlands.
When you find yourself making too much sense
try doing it
Backwards
When the Moon is full, allow yourself
a heaping dose
of lunacy.
Develop night vision,
the penetrating ability
to see
in an alternate
kind of light.
When the Sun is shining,
in the dappled play
of light and shadow,
the amazing
rainbow palette
of color,
the purple taste
of grapes, lemon grass, sweat, iridescent,
gleaming words
crystallizing
on a
pristine page......
Play!
The beauty and mystery
of nature is always calling
In all the worlds
you have friends,
visible and invisible,
ever ready
to collaborate
Accept the fallow times
for what they are:
times of rest,
gestation,
and renewal.
Pregnant times
(whether you're a woman or a man)
when you are incubating something New
Respect your Demons.
They are worthy opponents.
They are there to test your valor, courage, and ability to make decisions.
They will force you to fight
for your vision, and
your heart.
Take good care of your work.
Nurture your discoveries, and protect the children
of your imagination.
Avoid people who talk you into being smaller
than you really are. And anyone, or anything,
that wounds your enthusiasm.
Where there's Fear
(or resistance)
there is Power
Light a fire
in your mind
and heart.
Don't let it go out.
Is your studio a
Sacred Space?
Even if, for now,
it's just a notebook,
or a table.
Are your art works touchstones,
talismans,
field notes,
and road maps
from a life-long journey
that sometimes
feels like a pilgrimage?
Strive for Balance.
The harmonious exchange
of creative opposites.
You will never lack
for Grace.
as
Above
so
Below
With brush, voice, eye, hand, heart and mind,
at last
we dance!
The Circle has No End.
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(The top image not my own - it was created by Catherine Nash.)
