Saturday, October 31, 2009

Away On Vacation


Have been away for a week and seems for ever. Visiting friends and family in Sydney for two weeks (I just love Sydney). We have been doing so much that we are a little tired, but are looking forward to a well earned rest for two nights in Byron Bay, haven't been there before so am really looking forward to going.

Will be back soon, sharing some art work and reconnecting with you all, my creative gorgeous friends :)

Wishing you all a lovely time where ever you are! Angie ox

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Creativity!

This weeks chapter I have found hard and grueling.
I had sooo many questions come up and sooo many possible answers, I felt swamped and stuck, wasn't really sure how to tackle some of my truths, yes I seem to back and forth, and the 'nothing' time has been hard to do this week too, but I have felt a reall need for it, quite space to put it all in order in my mind....
But journaling has really helped with letting it all out no bars held!
Some of the questions that came up this week were...
  1. I want to become an artist, how can I make this possible?
  2. Why don't I see myself as an artist already?
  3. How can I make art as part of my life more?
  4. What is it that I don't value about what I am doing now?
  5. Why do I create?

The answers that came after all this questioning was, I don't see myself as an artist because.... I don't sell art, I don't do art daily, other people (family) don't see doing art as of value, feeling like I am waisting my time on too much hobbying. ( then the child in me softly speaks out, but I want to live a life of my own creation - happy, messy stuff, full of quiet, noise, busy, colourfull stuff!)

Rather than seeing the value in what I am trying to achieve....transforming my being into what my life's purpose is, allowing myself to express and grow, exploring and making soul connections, connecting to the authentic self, not being afraid to show my authentic self, even when others may not like it.

So all of these questions swirling in my head for days, but then as I was mopping the floor I realised that yes I am an artist because I create daily, maybe not painting daily, but when I bake a cake the same yearning to create comes in my centre and I have this great urge to want to bake. That urge, that feeling never really leaves me, I always feel it and I love that, because when I first had my daughters I felt like I lost it, but a very good friend of mine did remind me that creating a human being in your body, was 'creative ' enough! Yeah!!! (Must remind myself to be more compassionate with self)

I really loved the idea of doing one thing different daily, changing what I did, so I jumped on our trampoline and sang children's nursery rhymes, sang out loud in the lounge room to "Mamma Mia!" and wrote everything with my left hand for one day (this was a hard one!) Want to do art on my bed, go for a moon lit walk, leave love notes for friends and family to find mysteriously, maybe walk backwards around the house! Hehehe.

What are you trying differently today? Let your creative side out to play, have some fun! All the best with next weeks chapter "Risk", I don't know about you but it feels like its getting harder each week as we get more into this, just need to be more compassionate with self, its o.k. still learning the ropes of how to bring more joy in! Angie ox

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Desire

This weeks chapter is on desire.
What is it that I desire?
I have many desires small and big, which I am not sure if any of them will ever be fulfilled. But by golly I will try!

Martha advices us to work towards our desire daily by sitting in stillness with it, listening to the desire see if it brings with it a taste of love, and spend some time on it daily, to make the desire reall.

For me my biggest desire is to become an artist. Even saying it exillerates me,"I am an artist!". Some of you may know that I have started an art course and last week we had a watercolourist come and introduce watercolours, he is a retired 70 year old man who started painting at 65 and has since then won awards, published a few books and is now a resident artist in a school, and as I was listening to him I was thinking, yes it can be done if you really want it you can go for it and make your self! The whole course has exposed us to so many talented artists that have made it through their desires, just from pure love and wanting to do so. This course has really enspired me!

Some days my focus is so strong and I get a reall connection with that energy and things really seem to flow, but other times I can't even pick up a pencil, this is when I doubt myself and wonder wether I have the right focus/desire.

I had an Aha! moment just recently about this, about how just because its something you are meant to do it doesn't mean it comes easily everytime, their is struggle, doubts and rejection. Just look at the great artists of our century, most were struggling artists, who were rejected by the art world, yet they still painted and continued on their journey of their destiny!

Do you sometimes find this struggle, yet you continue on? What do you do to help yourself out of this struggle?

Need to find sometime for stillness and ask more questions, Angie :)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Positive Words

I love affirmations, I wrote a few simple ones on a post it note and stuck it on the cars' sun vissard a while back, so everytime I get in the car I am reminded, 'I am safe', 'the world is friendly' and 'I appreciate myself'.
They help especially on those mornings when we are running late and everything that could go wrong is going wrong!
I had been thinking about doing some ATCs and use the concept of positive words written on them. You can never have too many positive words to remind you how great you are, your soul, your spirit...
I like the thought of having the cards all in a bowl on the table, grabing them when ever I need a little positive push.
I made 10 so far, am planning to make more in different mediums.
These were made using cardboard from a cereal box, covered in tissue paper, then painted with different colour, some were glittered, sequenced and words were chosen to be glued on top.


Believe in your~self!
I have a dream....
Reach for the stars!
I choose to shine!
I am creative!
Shine!
My heart is open to joy
Just be....
I create abundance
Breathe....




I had great sticky fun making these, maybe I will make a folder to store them in, but I do like looking at them....Hope your day is filled with positive things, Angie ox.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Journal Writing

I haven't written in a journal since I was a teenager, and I remember how great it felt to let it all out!
And after reading some other posts from "The Joy Diet" group, I have been inspired to get an old lined page book and cover it with some painted paper, put a title on it, and make it my brand new writing journal!
I like how some of the participants explained that they wrote down what their negative self talk was saying and then retorted with ten positive truths. This idea was from 'Ellecubed'. (thanks "Ellecubed'!)
I like this technique, instead of ignoring the negative self talk and keeping busy, realise what I am saying to myself and write it down and ask those questions to see where they are coming from, to be able to come out of the other side, with determination and truth. :)

I really like this saying, found on my calendar as part of this months positive sayings.
"Keep courage in your back pocket and you can face anything!"

Have a great week, and I wish you all happy creating and making. Angie :)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Truth!

"Truths can be as colourful if not more than lies. COLOUR your world!"
What can be said...hmmm. This is a hard one, truth isn't pretty, but I like it, yet it can scare me. Sometimes I turn away from it and prefer the comfort of pain, small pains but still pain, sometimes big pains.
After having children, it became easier to tell the truth about certain things and do away with silly little antics like friends who weren't really friends, and people who wear masks, you do away with those people because well... I didn't have time to play in there games and was too tired to even try.

But still I know that the truth can still be hard to realise. Just recently my husband and I discussed our trip away to his family for two weeks. They are lovely people and we will have a lovely time away, the kids will see the grand parents and I/we (the adults) will get some time to ourselves and sight see a little, all lovely!
But every time we brought the subject up I would start to get slightly emotional and we would end up getting frustrated with each other.
Hubby planned one event and I would be ...."but that trip is too long, or the time is wrong!". So I caught myself and asked..."What am I feeling right now, what is the painful story I am telling myself?" and I realised that I was creating drama and making everyone's life difficult, why? Because, I felt that I had no control over what was happening on MY holiday! Kinda had a tantrum, how embarrassing but true! So we talked it over made some new arrangements and now we are both happy, we are going away for two weeks holiday and I can't wait!
What do you think of the collage above? (Tell the truth, or maybe don't ;))
Kinda appeared on its own playing with water soluble crayons on watercolour paper, then cutting magazine papers and matching colours, then journaled some ideas and words to go with TRUTH. Hope you like it, have a great weekend Angie:).