Two Year Anniversary!

Two years ago I started this blog and I had no idea what was in store for me. I only knew I had a calling to incorporate more creativity, color and vibrancy into my life.

I dove in with all my heart to learn…techniques, styles, anything…I just wanted to learn. I traveled around the country taking classes and I signed up for many online classes as well. It was a feverish desire to learn the secret illusive thing that would get me to where I wanted to be.

Then there was a bit of a shift. It started at the beginning of the year. I had chosen “responsibility” as my word for the year and I had decided it just wasn’t responsible to be taking all these trips when the money would be useful in other areas of my life. I took an online class and decided that it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to “do” anyone else’s style anymore. It just didn’t fit.

Meanwhile I was beginning to spend more time going inward, learning to listen to myself more than the outside world. I was introduced to the Akashic Records and it seemed like a lost part of my soul began to wake. I had this inner calm, a sense of knowing that even though things didn’t seem to be moving forward, they were exactly as they needed to be.

With this new found connection to my higher self, I began to see things unfolding in the most synchronistic way. Things I had secretly desired began to appear in my life. Things I didn’t even know I needed began to emerge and it is from this moment that I can look back and see the perfection in what has unfolded.   

My thinking mind had a plan…it knew exactly where I “needed” to go. It couldn’t seem to make it happen but it could clearly see the end point and longed to figure out how to get there. When I let go of the “plan” and began to trust and live from a place of connection with my higher self, things began to unfold in the most natural way. I suddenly became focused when previously I was scattered. I was able to work in complete flow, loving every minute of it. Things began to take shape and effortlessly bloom.

Is it what my thinking mind thought I wanted or needed?

Absolutely not!

It isn’t anything I ever dreamed of but it is a perfect fit.

I don’t know what the future will hold. I have given up trying to plan. I am letting go into a deep trust that is carrying me to places I never knew existed for me. Will it keep me here at The Creative Healing Studio? I don’t know…only time will tell.

It is with complete gratitude that I celebrate my two year anniversary here on this blog and it is with complete trust that I go out into the third year knowing that whatever happens will be perfect.

I promise, the secret will come out in August. ;o)

Do you remember when I created my mosaic soul art? I really loved that project. I loved making the healing mosaic mandalas too. There is just something about creating art with healing and positive affirmations that lights me up!

 I originally made 9 of them and I have 5 left. I've put two of them up in my Etsy shop if you are interested. Check out the affirmations and see if they resonate with you.

Looking Back

My son Liam with his new Basketball Coach

 Do you guys remember back in July when I wrote a post about my Soul Art process and how I used it to deal with an issue I was having with my son's sports coach? If you don't remember, you can check it out here.

While the issue I was having really spanned across all my children it was particularly difficult with my son Liam. He had a coach who coached him on baseball and basketball. I watched as my son faltered under this man. Let me tell you, this kid was confident. One of my girlfriends told me he said, "Whoever shows up to practice next is really lucky because he gets to play with me." It was sincere. He believed in himself and he wasn't afraid to show it.

Over the years this coach began to chip away at my son's confidence. It was gradual at first but began to snowball. I tried talking with the coach, talking with my son and encouraging him but nothing seemed to work.

Last year it all came to a head and everything changed. We got a new coach and said goodbye to the old one. We have tried new teams for him and each and every step we've made has been better and better.

We recently put him on a team with a coach that I cannot tell you how much we love. He is so kind and he is taking an interest in Liam. He is teaching him and supporting him. And let me tell you, he knows his stuff. He played basketball and football at Ball State and went on to play in the NFL for 7 years. He can get excited and he can yell but it isn't  done in a way that demeans.

I'm watching my son's confidence slowly begin to come back. He is beginning to take more shots and take more risks because he knows he won't be punished for his mistakes. He is excited to go to practice and thrilled for games. He even sprayed the logo on his head for crazy hair day.

And I'm sure you know that it isn't about the success he has at sports. It's more about the growth he is having in life. Learning to believe in himself and knowing what it is like when he is supported by an adult other than his parents.

So what does this all have to do with art? It occurred to me the other day that over the last year things have changed. I healed and came face to face with issues I was having through my Soul Art process and everything seemed to fall into place without me even realizing it. I am amazed and grateful to be able to look back and see the progress that has been made.

Art Heals!

Recognizing Fear

Fear is a funny thing. It's not real... it's not concrete. You can't look at it and say, "Yea, that's some gnarly fear there."

Instead it lurks around, shows up with some funny feelings in your body, and oftentimes gets your mind racing. Once that mind is let loose, you can go round and round until you don't know which way is up.

Now I'm not talking about intuitive fear that lets you know when something is wrong or the fear that keeps you from doing something that could put you in jeopardy. I'm talking about the fear that holds you back and keeps you small. I'm talking about the fear that is so sneaky you're not even sure it's fear.

If you don't take the time to stop and think about it, it can seem like some pretty good reasons for not doing something. The mind is pretty sneaky that way. It knows just what to say to keep you in your little box. You know it really just wants to keep you safe. Unfortunately safe can mean stagnant.

I've dealt with a lot of fear in my life. As a kid I can remember being home alone and scared out of my mind. I can remember the sound of my dad's car pulling up in the driveway and the jolts of fear that ran through my body wondering what kind of mood he was in. I have a childhood of memories that revolve around fear.

In my family being strong was the holy grail. Fear was a weakness and I was taught early on to toughen up and be brave. I guess a part of me felt that being afraid meant I was weak and I wasn't about to be weak so I learned to ignore it.

The thing is, years of ignoring something makes you pretty numb to it. It makes it difficult to recognize it and if you can't recognize it you can't deal with. So what's a girl to do?

Soul Art® of course ;o)

The above piece was created with my favorite travel watercolor set some black markers. If you look closely you can see some symbols that are placed right on top of the flowing colors. Those symbols represented my mind and my fears. They were the one thing I didn't like about the piece.

It became very clear to me that what's underneath those symbols of over thinking and fear is the perfection of the Universe, the flowing state of trust in what is happening for the betterment of my soul. Those symbols were the distraction that were keeping me from being in the flow and blocking the perfection of the Universe.

I always say that recognizing our behavior is the first step to changing and I absolutely believe that. You can't change something you don't even recognize. I have to say that by regularly doing Soul Art® around issues in my life I am speeding up the process of healing. It's so awesome!

Soul Art® Rocks!

I had a really great Soul Art® session last week and I wanted to share her response with you!

**************************************************

This was my first Soul Art experience with Michelle. After choosing all the images and text from magazines, Michelle threw me a curve ball. It wasn't at all what I expected. "Are you kidding?" I said.
She replied with a simple word..."Trust," she said.

After assembling my art I noticed the text was telling me things that I had put on the back burner, things that had been simmering so long that the pot was about to go dry. The text along with the pictures conveyed the same messages, or reinforced the messages. My Soul Art told me I am ready to make a change, go for it, step it up. It told me to venture out more, find inspiration, and don't let the mundane day-to-day living get in my way. Make each day count. . . really count, it said. It wanted me to be aware of all the magic in the universe, the poetry, the beauty, the love and the possibilities. It wanted me to believe in myself and trust.

Wow!. It was pretty amazing. I went from feeling unmotivated and uncertain to "Wow, I can do this!"

How could a simple, fun exercise actually change your way of thinking about something that had you baffled for so long? Could it have changed my brain waves somehow? Strange, but true.

I felt a new sense of empowerment, and bought myself a royal blue evening dress (to go with my red hair) and silver sandals for my upcoming trip to DC. I decided that I'm worth it! I feel different, and I can't wait to see what's down this road. Thanks, Michelle. Soul Art rocks!

Pam Pulice

Reel Stories Productions

www.reelstories.tv

Rebirth

Over the years since I began my healing journey I have noticed that healing isn't constant. It ebbs and flows. I like to think of it like riding a roller coaster of healing. There are ups and downs, spins and turns and you don't always know what is up ahead. There are times that make you feel sick, others that are exhilarating.

It seems like I am heading up a big steep hill of my healing roller coaster right now, slowly edging forward, about to take yet another dive. I have several big healing events coming up in the next couple of months that I am really excited about. I just know big things are coming.

Apparently I know this at my soul's level too because last night while working with someone to complete their soul art, I also worked on my own and the message that came up for me reinforced that idea.

You can see there is this strange face in the lower left that looks heavy and lifeless, almost as if it is a mask. Out of her lips comes this light, bubbly and positive energy. What a contrast.

As I was reflecting on the piece and getting my insight I got this flash that the woman was dead. She was lying there with her eyes closed and letting out her last breath. At first it freaked me out a little. Why the heck am I creating images of dying women? I decided to let my mind rest and just go with it.

As I continued to ask and answer questions about the piece it became quite clear that this image represented a death and a rebirth. It was the death of my old limitations. RIP to the old Michelle. Embracing the new excitement, joy, life, beauty, creativity, and bubbly energy that is awaiting me.

In asking what I need to do I got this response:

"You don't have to do a thing except be open, ready, and willing to trust. The wheels are in motion and your dreams are being manifested. Stay connected, open, and trusting that it is all going according to plan. Be excited. Feel the energy. TRUST, TRUST, TRUST!"

Um, OK, I can do that! ;o)

As a way to keep myself in the spirit of trust and to remind myself where I want to be with it I decided to add a statement of trust to the end of the gratitude list I write every morning. So easy! I love it. I feel great about it and excited to see what the next couple of months bring.

Embracing Silly and Goofy!

Back in January I did a Soul Retrieval process with a wonderful woman named Lisa Dieken. It was quite a powerful process. I wrote about it briefly in a prior post. I didn't give too many details about the actual process but instead linked it to the fact that I had chosen Abundance for my word of the year.

Recently I've been having all these messages come up for me about having fun, playing, loosening up, and embracing my inner child. It seems no matter what I set my intention for in the beginning of a Soul Art process, I end up coming back to--have fun!

My silly little artwork above is yet another example of this. It's goofy and fun and written right on it is the message to Dance and have fun. You would never know my intention for this piece was to allow my creativity to flow for a serious project I am working on.

I'm feeling a bit goofy and silly lately too. I'm singing even more in the car, dancing around the house, embarrassing my kids with my crazy sounds and ridiculous singing and saying goofy things.

So what does all of this have to do with my Soul Retrieval? It really does tie in...let me explain. During my journey Lisa told me she saw a younger me playing on the playground. I could see the event taking place in my mind, the young little Michelle stooping down and drawing with chalk on the pavement.

She called to her and asked her to come home. The little girl started to come closer but then decided that she wasn't quite done playing and she took off back into the playground. Lisa said she hadn't ever seen that happen before. I saw that little girl jumping, skipping, swinging and playing while we waited for her to finish. As I watched her play I was brought to tears because I realized it was something that I had forgotten how to do. Playing and having fun seemed so foreign to me and I felt the ache deep down inside.

It got me to thinking that by bringing that little girl home (yes, she eventually finished her fun and made her way over to us) who knows how to play and have fun I've really woken something up inside of me and I'm slowly learning to integrate that part of who I am. It's becoming more and more of who I am and I like it.

So to honor my silly little creature's advice, I would like to leave you with one of my current favorite "dance and have fun" songs. I encourage you to crank it up, let loose and have a good time! Woo hoo!

Update to Mommy Integration

WoW, woW, wOw!!!

So here is the power of Soul Art®! So far I have talked to 2 different people about Soul Art® in my normal everyday life. One was a friend and another was a mom from my son's baseball team that I don't know that well.

As I said in my previous post, I don't normally mix my mommy life with my creative, intuitive life so this is pretty huge for me!

But the best thing is that I was able to define Soul Art®, discuss the value and the benefits of it and it happened so easily. The block was gone, the words flowed and I was able to express what was inside just waiting to come out. I am really so excited about this. I'm telling you, it makes me want to do it everyday!

I just want to thank you all for your support! I sooooo appreciate it!

Integrating the No Nonsense Mommy With the Intuitive Artist

I have one final assignment before I complete my Soul Art certification course. I've been working on it for ages now. It really isn't a difficult task, I need to create my own definition of what Soul Art is, describe the value and the benefits. You'd think I was asked to replicate the statue of David or something by how hard I've been struggling with this.

I've written pages upon pages of things. I've scratched things out, moved things around. I tried typing it. I tried speaking it. I tried explaining it to my friend on the phone. Nothing has worked. I was online today looking at what other students posted and what Laura writes and trying to figure out something for myself.

At one point I wrote on a piece of paper, "What the f*ck is wrong with me? Why is this so f*cking difficult?!" And then it occurred to me. Why don't I do a Soul Art journey and see if I can get some clarity that way? Duh!

So I traced some body parts and got to doodling. I haven't tried this yet so it was pretty interesting. I was surprised at how easily it flowed. A woman emerged with a large hat, flowing hair, and a large earring.

Once I finished the doodle, I dove in to uncover the insight. There was some great stuff here. You may notice that her hat and her clothing are bright and beautiful but her face and hair are black and white. Also she is looking away and hiding beneath her large "dress." All around her are little stars and dots that seem magical.

The insight I received was all about not trying to present myself as something on the outside and to just let what is inside of me be bright and colorful. Also, realizing that the magic is all around me and within in me and that I don't need to look outside myself to find anything. I don't need to hide who I truly am because I'm fine just the way I am.

This really goes back to the fact that I seem to be living two different lives that I am trying to merge into one. I am the tough, no nonsense mom who says it like it is and gets things done (left brain) and then I am the spiritual, artistic Creative Healing Coach who accesses her intuition (right brain). It seems that there is a pretty hard line that divides the two and this is part of the problem I have been having with choosing the "perfect" words to define Soul Art. Who is doing the talking? Is it my left brain or is it my right? Can I connect the two and integrate both parts and come up with a definition that feels right to both? This has been the struggle.

I know, it doesn't seem right that all that juicy insight came from such a simple little doodle. I am continually blown away by how powerful and effective the tools are for eliciting insight.

My action step is to talk to someone about Soul Art in person who doesn't know about it or doesn't even know that I am doing it. It has to be someone I wouldn't normally think would be interested (my mommy side doesn't really talk about my artsy side to my friends...they think I am a little out there).

So that is the plan and I have to do it by Monday. Let then integrating begin (and the defining of Soul Art ;o)

Got an Issue? Art it out!

I'm really good at seeing other people's issues and helping them get clarity on them, helping them dive in and see what might be going on below the surface, guiding them to find their answers and supporting them while they make those changes. It really comes quite naturally to me.

You'd think that I would have the same ability to do that for myself wouldn't ya? Well, damn it, it's just not that easy when I am so close to it. Grrrrrr. It seems to take me so much longer to recognize my own issues and even when I recognize them I can't always get clarity. What a cosmic joke. :o)

I have to tell you that the tools I've been using with the Soul Art have really increased my ability to listen to my inner wisdom and to see my life through a different lens. It's almost like viewing my life on a movie screen. It's incredible how that disassociation can really illuminate things.

The latest piece I did is posted above. Now I have to tell you that I'm beginning to long for some paint and art materials but I know summer is not a great time for me to do that so I am forever grateful that I can still express myself, tune into my inner wisdom, and get the clarity I need with a couple of magazines.

I've been having this issue around my kids' baseball lives. It's quite a long, drawn out and boring story but let me tell you it has been filled with drama and has played out with 3 of my kids and a multitude of different people over the span of 3 years. OK, I get it Universe, You're trying to tell me something...trying to teach me something.

Now looking at the piece above you would never guess that it has anything to do with kids baseball would you? I know, it's crazy. It's like a dream. There are all these snippets here and there that seem unrelated but there is a thread that connects them. It's my own soul language that only I can decipher and it is amazing at how loud and clear it is.

I was able to pinpoint what is going on under the surface. What lesson I need to learn and I even came up with an action step to help me in those times of drama. I felt like I was floating on a cloud of happiness when I finished this journey.

It is always shocking to me the wisdom that comes out of me when I am in touch with my Source. I will share with you a snippet of my communications:

Love your life, make it a dream, allow your happiness and joy to spread outward and to infect those around you. Don't allow the egos of others to pull you down. Be the best you can be. Treat people who wrong you as small children who just don't know how to play nice. Realize that it is all they know and bless them where they are. Know that they are doing their best and then pull your energy back to where it can be strong...back within you which is the only place it has any power.

That is powerful stuff and came from that magazine collage. I'm so in awe of this process and its potential for truth. And if you think you don't have it in you, I promise that you do. I've never worked with anyone who didn't have that infinite wisdom within themselves. They just needed help finding it. Here are a few recent clients and what their experience was like.

In Love With Soul Art®

I have been having so much fun doing Soul Art®! It's funny because it isn't really about the art...it more about the process of tuning into my inner voice and listening to what it has to say. It's amazing to me the things that emerge when I just let go.

The latest piece I did is a perfect example of this. My intention for this piece was, "I am productive. I get things done."

Of course my mind has all these thoughts and ideas floating around about what I will create and what the message will be...silly mind!

This particular technique is especially good for throwing your mind a curve ball (notice the baseball reference...you can tell what I've been doing this summer). You cut out images from a magazine and FLIP them over to see what is on the other side. Soooooo interesting!

I was in a bit of a shock with what was on the other side of my images but I just kept reminding myself to let go. I was playing around with them and all of the sudden I saw a face come together and from there I let go and had some fun.

Now, this is not art I would usually do. It's a bit strange and almost creepy but it doesn't make me feel creepy if that makes any sense :o). Ha, I doubt it does. Trying to articulate messages from the soul can be tricky.

Funny enough, the message I got from this piece of art is that I need to have fun with my kids. Spend more time with them in nature...not just be there with them but to really have fun...childlike fun.

I was expecting to need to make a list, some kind of organization, or technique for helping me be more productive but instead I got that I need to have more fun in my life, enjoy my kids, feel the love, be in the moment and tap into that energy because it will carry me through getting things done when the time is right. Love it!

So the really cool part of this is that when I finished I came downstairs and scheduled my nature dates with my kids and then I got onto Facebook to post a quote. I opened The Modern Day Muses up and the quote my eyes went to was, "All creative people are kids at heart." by Steve Carmichael. I typed it out and thought, "Oh, isn't that nice." and shut the book.

After I shut it my mind's eye reminded me of what I just saw. It was like, "Hello, Michelle. Go back into that book and read what is on the next page...there is a message for you there...are you paying attention?"

So I opened it back up and on the next page I read the title, The Freedom of Childlike Activities. Wait a minute, what is this chapter about? I flipped back a couple of pages and realized that this chapter is all about Bea Silly, the muse of play, laughter and dance (you might have noticed that I haven't read the whole book yet). Whoa! How cool is that?! The first page of the chapter says, "If the process is joyful, the result will be pleasing." It's rocking my world!

The perfect message at the perfect time. So, I will read it, I will hit the arboretum with the kids, as well as some forest preserves and Starved Rock. We will explore, play, and have fun and things will get done when the time is right and they will be awesome because they will be fueled by the energy of joyfulness, love, playfulness, and just plain fun!

I love this Soul Art®!!!

Mosaic Mandala 2

I live in the flow of the Universe. I trust that everything comes to me for my greatest good.

Here is my second mandala I made. It evokes the ocean with the blue tiles and the seashells. The materials used are iridescent vitreous tiles, stained glass, painted glass tiles, glass gems and seashells.

I find it so fascinating how the mood of the mandala follows along with the message of the affirmation. I'm having so much fun. Stay tuned for more!

Healing Mosaic Mandalas

I am still exploring and learning from my Mosaic Soul Art. It is such a difficult thing to put into words. I can tell you that the intention for this piece had to do with my physical body and allowing it to heal and be at its optimum health.

As I stood back and looked at it I had this feeling that the amorphous shapes were not healthy. They felt to me like little monsters floating around. It's funny because even trying to write it I can't quite articulate it and "monsters floating around" doesn't really express the feeling I got but it is simple and will suffice.

Anyway, there were these small mandalas that were peppered around the piece and I felt like these were my little soldiers going off to battle. They were the good guys!

I had this overwhelming urge to make more of them. I have a TON of 6x6 squares of MDF that I cut for another project and never used. I knew they would be perfect.

I grabbed one and wrote this:

I take back my power! My body is under my control and I choose health!

Then I spread some thin-set over the affirmation and began creating.


I put one of my river stones that I decorated in the center. From there I used some red and orange smalti (Italian glass) and some thinner tiles that I put on their sides for texture. I added some millifiore, some red mirror and some 24k gold tiles. Viola, my first healing mosaic mandala.

I love it! It felt so good to make and I could feel the power in it. I couldn't stop there. I kept making them and making them, each with their own positive affirmation.

I only wish photography did mosaics justice. You can't appreciate the beauty of the materials. The red mirror shows up flat in the photo but in person it reflects the light so beautifully as does the scrumptious gold tiles. Can you tell I love it?!

I will show you more of them next week. I love them all so much so I want to share them with you. Have a great weekend!

Mosaic Soul Art

What an amazing experience I had creating this piece of Soul Art. I wasn't prepared for the twists and turns that would occur when I allowed myself to enter a place of trust and flow.

This piece is 4 foot by 4 foot. I did it on a piece of wood. I wasn't planning on doing that but I was in the home improvement store and I just had to head over to the wood department and lo and behold I walked out with some wood.

I had my husband trace my body in the fetal positions. I THOUGHT I was going to do some kind of plaster work on it but when I went down into my basement to find some tools to use I came across my HUGE stash of mosaic supplies I've been holding onto for years.

I was overcome with all of it and suddenly KNEW that I had to create a mosaic.

In the past when I created a mosaic I would be painstakingly precise. Every cut was perfect, every groutline evenly spaced. I would lay everything out before gluing down a piece to prevent making a mistake. I longed to be spontaneous but I didn't know how.

That all changed with this piece. I spread the thin-set down onto the board and just started plopping things in. I didn't know what I was creating or how it was going to look and I didn't care. It was so freeing and I felt like I could fly.

The materials I used were bits and pieces that I've carried throughout my life. They were all a little part of me.


There are seashells my family collected in Florida,


stones from Michigan,


glass I carried back from Italy,


and things I always loved that I was too afraid to use because I loved them so.





I even had some gold tiles I brought back from Italy that were so expensive I didn't want to use them.

Crazy, I know.

I let loose and just did it. I kept spreading and placing materials with no real regard for the outcome. What an amazing feeling!


I played with texture and shine and just had so much fun being creative.



Everything seemed to be flowing...

beautiful...

and submerged in a perfect bed of concrete.


Organic shapes emerged and grew out of my soul.



It all seemed so perfect.


And when it was complete I lifted it up off the table and stood back to look at it and...

I didn't like what I saw.

How had it gone so wrong? How was it possible to feel so good making something and feel so bad looking at it in its totality?

Thank goodness there were tools to help me dive in and to learn from this piece. To get its messages and to connect it to the intention I set for it.

As I sat there and looked at...
talked to it...
and listened to it..

I learned


I grew


I expanded


I learned that even things that I don't like can teach me something...

maybe even more than the things I do like.



Even today as I talked about it with a friend of mine I learned more.

I went deeper.

I have a feeling there will be more to learn and room to grow with this piece in the future.

I am honored to have uncovered this tool to use my creativity to get in touch with my soul and to heal myself a little more each and every time.