February Vision Portrait

February's Vision Portrait started with an image I already had. I was leading a class and needed a new portrait and this one seemed like a good fit. 

I started out with some chalk pastels on the face and then added some oil pastel flames on the forehead. Then I moved onto magazines for collage. 

The class I was leading was a shortened class and only had 40 minutes of art time. The above picture is what I completed at the end of that class. 

Here is another progress shot. Adding more and more color and texture was so fun and the time seemed to fly by.

I couldn't stop. Eventually I was left with just my eyes and a riot of bursting color. So fun!

Here is a little close up of the hot side. So much goodness going on. 

And here is a close up of the cool side. 

I am loving these Vision Portraits. 

January Painting Journey

My favorite kind of painting is Intuitive Painting. I love to start with no idea where I am going or what I am doing. Just playing around with colors and and seeing what emerges. 

It's especially fun when you add some of your own custom made stamps. 

It always amazes me how something can start out one way and take such a dramatic shift. 

When I am painting I am tapped into my emotions and if something starts to feel a bit constrictive I want to stay very present to that feeling and let it amplify and move through me.

Zooming in you can see a lot of scratching and etching into the paint at this layer. This was in reaction to the strong emotions I had. I spent a lot of time at this layer allowing it all to come through and out.

And then there was something more. I saw a face and I knew it needed to come through. Gently, slowly I brought her forward 

At each step I asked what it was she needed and I kept listening and adding 

In the end it was begging for light and play. Fun little flowers, dashes of color and a whole lot of light heartedness. 

When I work in this way I never know what I am going to get but I always get what I need. 

Art is Powerful

I believe art is powerful! I don’t mean just looking at a piece of art. I mean the process of creating art for just for the sake of the process. When you let go of all the rules and expectations of creating art and tune into the creative flow that is there for everyone you tap into an amazing power like you’ve never known. 

Sometimes I use art just to get my energy flowing, to step into creative flow, to play and have fun. Yesterday I was feeling like I was in a bit of a funk. I felt blah and crabby and I decided to use art to help shift my mood. 

I taped up a sheet of paper onto the wall and turned on an album I have of chakra music. I used the corresponding color as each song played and I just expressed myself in those colors. No rules. No expectations. Just energy on a page. 

When I finished, I felt better. I knew I had tapped into something but yet I still felt like something was missing. I wasn't complete. 

I got out my notebook and started writing. I wrote about how I was feeling and what I wanted and got out some more junky junk and then I set my intention. I was drawn to a dark black oil pastel and I just slowly started making lines and shapes. I had no idea what I was doing, I only did what felt right in the moment.

I knew I had to get out the white paint  so I did. I started playing with blocking out some of those shapes. I added some other colors and kept playing. I found it so interesting how different the energy was at this point than it had been earlier. 

I continued on adding lines, dots and other colors. I love the way the bright chakra colors shine through and move across the page. It seems raw, pure and full of joy.

When the painting itself felt complete I got out my trusty notebook and once again spent some time writing and getting insight about the process, the art and how I was feeling. 

In the past I might never want to share such an "unfinished" piece of art because I was focused on the idea of creating art that had to look a certain way but I now fully embrace Freedom Art™ which is all about throwing away the rules and following your intuition. It is about using art as a tool to get in touch with your inner wisdom, healing your soul and creating a life that makes you shine. 

If you would like to try out Freedom Art™ head over to my website. You can sign up for a free ebook called, Take Back Your Life with Freedom Art™ which will also get you on the mailing list for updates on new classes that are offered in my studio. 

The Heart's Choice

I've been taking part in the #100dayproject on Instagram. I decided to pull an oracle card every day and paint a woman inspired by the card (#100oraclewomen). I was on vacation when the challenge started so it seemed like the best choice. I've been going along, playing with my watercolors and pulling cards and doing small and simple paintings. That is until today.

Today I pulled a card that really spoke to me on a deep level and I tried to express that in the same way I had up until now and it sucked. And  I tried another one and it sucked too. And yet another...I think you get the drift...It sucked. They all sucked and they left me feeling agitated and I wasn't sure what to do so I sat down and read the card again.

 The card I pulled was called The Right Choice. It talked about there not being a "right" or "wrong" choice but only one that is right or wrong for you. How everyone's path is different and learning to tune into the heart's wisdom was the key.

"In your heart you know what holds meaning for you. You may or may not have a grand vision to go along with that meaning as yet, but deep within, you know what is without value and what holds value-for you... Don't hold onto a belief system or vision if it appears to be tossed on it's head. Let things go the way they will and good fortune will prevail for you. That vision might actually have been upside down all this time, and suddenly able to right itself and be born for you if allowed to topple....Trust that if you are being drawn away from a tantalizing sweet shop, there is a more delicious array of confection just around the corner for you."

 Yes, it was beginning to come together for me. I like to draw, to sketch to paint and what not but it isn't the thing that fuels my soul. It isn't my heart's deepest desire. I know this and yet I see all these wonderful artists online and my friends and family tell me I should be an "artist" and sell my stuff so I try to do what "artists" do and it never sticks.

"To base your choices on what others have chosen for themselves may end up killing you. Better to take your risks on the angel of your own heart, wise as that being is, and dance to your own heart rhythm instead."

The truth is that I am an Intuitive Artist. I come alive when I have no preconceived idea what I am going to create.The things I love about intuitive painting are so numerous:

I love:

• that there is no right or wrong way to do it. 
• facing a white piece of paper and just allowing my paintbrush to dance over the surface with my favorite color at that moment. 
• how listening to my intuition leads me to the next color and the next brush stroke and the energy takes me away on a creative journey. 
• how something can suddenly appear in the lines and shapes and how it amazes me how perfect it always seems to be. 
• to just play on the page and let colors mix in the most delicious way. 
• getting lost in the details and then stepping back to see the story emerging. 
• that there are no mistakes
• painting for process and not product
• how much I love each piece I create even when they aren't pretty. There is something so amazing about pouring your heart onto the page that can make me fall in love with even the ugliest piece.  
• getting messages and wisdom from every piece
• how sacred the whole thing feels even when I'm dancing around to music and having the best time ever

I decided to do what I do best and trust that it would come together in just the right way for this lesson. Everything I love about intuitive painting came flowing through and I came alive. Listening to my heart and making the choice to embrace my kind of art left me feeling more satisfied than anything I have created in the week prior. It felt right.

What does my story spark in you? What does thinking about your heart's desire bring up for you? Do you know what your deepest heart's desire is? Are you following it?

I'd like to invite you to spend some time digging deep and uncovering your truth. There are so many creative ways to dive in. You can journal, create a collage, or paint. I'd love to hear about your discovery so leave a comment or send me a message.

The Gift

I have not always been very good at dealing with my emotions. After years of ignoring them and shutting them down sometimes I still have a difficult time even fully recognizing how I am feeling in the moment. 

Process art has become a doorway to allow me to tap in, recognize, and then release bound up emotions. 

On this particular day, I was feeling out of sorts. Emotions were swirling around and I didn't know what to do with them. I decided scribbling was the answer. 

I taped a large poster board to the wall and grabbed two graphite pencils, one for each hand. I approached the paper and simply placed my forehead on the middle of the page and began to scribble with both hands. 

I scribbled and scribbled with varying degrees of fury. I scribbled through tears and I scribbled through fears. Anger raised its head and sorrow lowered it. Every ounce of emotion that I was holding onto traveled through my hands, into those pencils and onto the paper. 

When I felt complete I lifted my head from the wall and stepped back and I was shocked and amazed to see a heart so clearly left where my head had rested. 

When I started I had no intention to paint. I simply wanted to scribble with pencil and now here I was, standing in front of this pencil sketch and I KNEW it needed to be painted. 

As always, I followed my intuitive urge and chose the paint color. I was a little surprised to want white but I honored what I was feeling and let go. 

It wasn't long before the cool colors were calling my name. I played with one of my favorite colors, Prussian Blue and livened it up with sky blue and a cool shade of purple. 

I just kept playing and adding colors. Allowing fun lines to appear. 

Pink is my go to color when I am feeling love. The heart was ready to be painted and what better color to use than pink?

And then it was as if fireworks were going off. Every color was alive and dancing on the page. it had energy and was expressing exactly how I was feeling in the moment...alive and grateful. 

There is typically a point in my creation process where I get lost in the moment and forget to take pictures. This was that point. 

I continued to paint and add what the painting was asking for and in the end I was left with this soft, garden of love. 

When you lose yourself in the process of intuitive creation, you fall in love with your art. It holds a very special place in your heart. You almost feel like a mother loving your creation and this painting evoked these feelings in me,. It was the culmination of a powerful emotional journey that I was fortunate enough to be part of. 

Without going through every phase of this process and allowing myself to fully feel all of the constricting emotions, this painting doesn't have the same power. It is surrendering to the truth of the moment that fuels the process and allows something unique and sacred to emerge. 

What a gift!

Full Moon Painting

One of the assignments we did in the Ignite program was to paint under the full moon every month. It's funny that I never really paid attention to the cycles of the moon before. I am a Leo you know so I am all about the sun. But I have to say there is a softness that emerges when you tune into the moon. It's a different energy...a feminine energy.  I know I can use more of that in my life so I have decided to continue this practice in my 2015 journal. 

When I paint I don't go into it with any idea of what I am doing. I have no preconceived plans for what I am painting. It is a total mystery. I usually just start with a few colors that are calling my name and get them on the page. There is nothing worse than staring at a boring white page so I get some color on!

From there I just start playing. I tend to like a nice flowing line. I like to feel like I am fluid when I paint...like my paintbrush is floating over the surface, leading me where it wants to go.

Again, I have no idea if "something" will emerge. Oftentimes I will see a face or some kind of image but today it looks like I am just creating shapes and line and it feels so good.

When I finished with the paint I decided I wanted to go back in with crayons and pens to add some fun little details. I don't over think it. It's just easy breezy.

One of the things I learned about this process is that I enjoy adding words to my journal pages. It is nice to go back and look at what I was thinking or feeling at the time I created the page.

The page felt a bit chaotic and all over the place and yet there was this quiet and serene space left an it gave me this feeling of inner peace. 

Enjoy the full moon! Maybe you will want to get out your journals and have a little fun playing!

xo
Michelle

Where O Where Has Michelle Been?

 

Well, I've been right here. Immersed in Inner Alignment Mandalas and diving into my own spirit. Creating mandalas that make my heart sing and connecting with people who teach me new lessons everyday.

 

I've learned to touch a part of me that I never knew existed. OK, a part of me knew it was there, hiding beneath the surface, under years of disconnect and hiding from my own light.

 

The creative process I've been swimming in has healed me in ways I had no idea was even possible. It has connected me to powers that are greater than myself and I feel as if I am deep in gratitude for each day I am able to wake up and make my way to my computer or my art desk.

 

I'm excited by everything I do, even the most mundane tasks like setting up a newsletter to the most exciting, like watching a mandala emerge from a canvas covered in rich, deep color.

 

Lately I've been connecting to my intuitive side even more. I've taken the step from Intuitive Artist to Intuitive. I've been doing Intuitive Card Readings and I can't tell you the excitement that rushes through my body as I connect to my higher spirit and the spirit of those I am reading.

 

I've been getting clear messages that it is time to take this intuitive skill to the next level and truly connect with others to be able to offer healing and guidance. I can't tell you the honor I've been feeling in being able to combine my coaching and intuitive skills to guide people on their spiritual journey!!!

 

 

As a sort of "welcome back" to The Creative Healing Studio, I want to offer card readings to 3 of my readers. I will do an Intuitive Card Reading that I will record and put up on YouTube for you to view. There will be an opportunity for you to get clear on what area in your life you are seeking guidance in prior to the reading.

 The first three people to leave a comment below with their email address will receive a card reading. I am so excited to be able to share this with you. Thank you for all your support!