Be Here Now.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram (I LOVE Instagram! Come on over and follow me!) you know that I am in the process of getting an art studio...well, OK, my husband is in the process of making me an art studio. Hee hee.

I have always wanted my own art studio. My husband has spent the last two years toiling away in the basement to create an awesome space for my boys so I decided it was my turn. The idea is to turn my living room and dining room into my space.

The hardest part is running the electric for overhead lights and putting up a wall to give me some much needed privacy. I got a glass door for the entryway to allow light to pour through. I am so excited to see it when it is up.

As you can see, things are in a bit of disarray. I will spare you what the dining room on the right looks like. OMG, it is piled with stuff. Needless to say, this makes it rather difficult to access my paints and my art supplies. So I have been crocheting...A LOT.

At first I was kind of disappointed in myself. I love crocheting and it is a big part of my life but this was my year to paint and to create and it hasn't really happened.

But then I looked around and realized that there is no way I can really give myself to the creative process 100% at this point. It is the reality that is my life right now so why beat myself up? What good does that do?

And I surrendered to where I am and I focused on what I can do and how I want to feel and let me tell you, it has been wonderful. I have enjoyed myself so much this month. I have created so many fun pieces and I have shared my work with people all over the world and it feels good.

I think that it is so easy to get caught up in the idea of what we "should" be doing and allowing that critical voice inside to run rampant on our hearts. We want to DO everything and BE everyone but sometimes that is just not possible.

I encourage you to be where you are right now. Don't wish for something different. Stay in the moment and work with what you've got. Make THIS moment the best it can be. Focus on how you can be your best RIGHT NOW and see how things shift.

xo
Michelle

The Fingerprint

Fingers covered in cool, fluid paint.

Each stroke has something to say.

Soft, gentle caresses,

Forceful jabs at the surface.

Timid movements,

Bold, sweeping gestures.

Gazing at each layer.

Wondering,

Questioning,

Asking for guidance.

What are you trying to say?

What do you want to express?

How can I give you what you need?

Listening.

Hearing.

Understanding from the depths of my soul.

Seeing the truth emerge.

Giving voice to what was once a faint whisper.

Breathing life into buried thoughts.

Creating what was previously only a dream.

Feeling the connection.

Knowing its bigger than just me.

There's an energy,

A force,

A creative flow that carries me away,

Bringing me closer to myself.

Closer to my source.

I leave my fingerprint in the paint,

As a record of my existence.

As a signature from my physical form.

It is the key that unlocks the mystery. 

It is the code that reminds me what is real.

It's a New Day!

It's always amazing to me how art has the power to revitalize me, teach me and reveal the patterns I live in every aspect of my life. My most recent journey into paint is no exception. In fact, the experience of painting this mandala shone even more light on myself than ever before.

Of course I started with an intention on what I wanted to learn from this experience. I wrote it in my journal and started painting away. Oh the ups and downs I experienced were amazing. Frustration, chaos, boredom, anger, hatred and power are only a snippet of the emotions that flowed through me and through my brush. Each step forward was met with new emotions. There were moments I wanted to give up, to chuck the whole thing in the garbage and I painted those feeling out and finally I reached a point of surrender.

Once I was able to surrender everything flowed. Every stroke I made was pure joy. Watching the colors blend and the shapes form made my heart skip a beat. Playing with the color, manipulating the negative space, and adding the tiny details were pure bliss.

When I finished I KNEW I was finished. It felt right. It felt perfect and not the kind of perfect that stifles and holds one up to impossible expectations, it was a perfect expression of where I am and what I'm experiencing.

Of course I had to dive in deeper with a barrage of questions so I would find the messages this painting had for me. It all made complete sense for me and I was beaming with my new found knowledge.

And then I got to a question that asked me to reflect on my original intention for the piece. Don't you know that I completely forgot about the intention I set the week prior. I flipped back in my journal and found what I wrote. I did a double take...is this really what I wrote? I had to read it twice. Oh my! A lightbulb went off and it all came together in the most amazing way...like MAGIC!

Part of me wishes I had taken pictures of all the layers this mandala went through (there are at least 15 layers below), but a bigger part of me is tickled pink to have my own secret journey buried beneath the layer just for me.

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!

I AM Live!!!

The time has come to introduce you all to my new website, Inner Alignment Mandalas. It was created over the summer in partnership with my amazing friend Jill Chesrow! I am so grateful for meeting her and for being guided to create this new business with her!

Inner Alignment Mandalas is truly a partnership. Each of us have our own talents and together we have created something truly wonderful. I am intuitively creating custom mandalas for our clients and Jill is doing quantum energy sessions to clear, balance and expand their energy fields. These mandalas are really powerful. We've been making them throughout the summer and I've just been amazed at the energy they have.

Right now we are offering Custom Mandalas and Business Mandalas and we plan on adding prints, coaching and online programs in the future. It is so very exciting to be working on something that I  know is a gift and that I feel truly passionate about. I can't tell you how smooth everything has gone. Things have seemed to flow and fall into place. We have both felt very guided in this endeavor.

I would love for all of you to check out our new website. I even created a video! It was so fun. There is also a free download where you will get our I AM Love Mandala pictured above. If you like what you see I would love for you to like us over on Facebook and tell anyone and everyone all about us. It might sound kind of cheesy but I really want to spread the word because I want as many people to be able to benefit from this amazing energy!

Thank you for all of your support over the last few years to help me find myself and connect with my creativity. It has given me to confidence to call myself an intuitive artist and with that confidence I was able to find Jill and create this wonderful partnership. You guys are the best!!!

Step Into Your Future!

About 10 years ago I was confronted with a critical healing moment in my life. I found myself in my early 30s, a mother of five children, in the hospital wondering if I was going to make it out again. At the time I was completely cut off from my spirituality and creativity and was under a great deal of stress as any mom will understand.

It was in that moment that my life changed forever. Something in me opened up and awakened. Something that I had locked down tight since I was just a little girl was bubbling to the surface.  I knew it was time for healing and that there had to be more to life that I was missing. I had absolutely no idea what that meant or how that could even occur and to be honest, it is only in hindsight that I recognized that awakening. In the moment, it was all still a bit fuzzy.

Serendipitously, I came across an online recording of Brandon Bays talking about the amazing work she does with The Journey and I was immediately hooked. I KNEW this was exactly what I needed so I signed up, purchased my plane ticket to Florida and set off for a weekend of something new.

The whole weekend was amazing. It was tough at times; highly emotional. There were a lot of tears shed and a lot of purging done but there was also so much profound beauty. I was introduced to myself as the soul that lives in this body. I met up with the silence that I never knew was missing but wondered how I lived without. I cleared out emotions I had stuffed and held onto for decades and felt 1,000 pounds lighter. It was completely life changing and only the beginning of a decade of growth and healing.

Now ten years later, I look back at that young mom and I have nothing but gratitude for her. I appreciate who she was and who she was trying to be. My heart opens up to her and thanks her for her strength and her ability to push through and get past the tough times so that I can stand here today.

The thing is, you never know what is in store for you. Just when things are at their worst and you feel like you will never feel better, realize that you may be at the beginning of an incredible journey that will take you places you could have never dreamed of.

It's at those times that trusting can be the hardest thing you could ever do but it's the most powerful. Trusting that you will find your way and that all you need to do is stay open and take the first step and wait to see where it leads. Isn't life beautiful?!

On a Spirit-cation!

We all love to take our vacations. Heading off to new locations, sightseeing, relaxing and rejuvenating refuel our body, mind, and spirit. Lately there has been an increase in the stay-cation. People are taking their vacations locally. Perhaps they take a day trip or plan some fun activities around the house. Done right a stay-cation can be equally rejuvenating.

I have been introduced to another type of vacation. I call it the spirit-cation. It's the opposite of planning, doing, and going. Instead it involves, listening, connecting, and honoring. I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that I don't really want to do.

I haven't felt like working, creating, reading, learning, so I choose not to do them. Instead I've spent much of my time meditating, journaling, reflecting, and just plain old relaxing. If I feel like watching a movie, I do it. If the couch is calling my name I listen to the call. I've even taken a couple of naps in the last couple of weeks...it's been ages since I've done that.

I am only doing the things I feel like doing. Strangely enough I've had the urge to clean my house, cook freezer dinners and bake cookies. So guess what? I do them.

At first I was overwhelmed with guilt. Why was I so lethargic? Why didn't I want to write my blog posts or work on my projects? Why didn't I even feel like talking on the phone? It was all a bit overwhelming.

Then I remembered the messages I've been getting lately...trust. So I did. I trusted that this is what I need to heal myself. I trusted that by honoring my moods I was honoring my spirit and the Universe and that if I just let go and trusted, everything would be OK.

I didn't plan this inner trip, it just sort of happened but I can see clearly that this spirit-cation is powerful and creating space for this on a regular basis will go a long way in supporting my life journey. The options are endless. This spirit-cation has been about 2 weeks long (so far ;o). I imagine a week would be amazing to uplift and rejuvenate the spirit and I can also see spending a day or as little as an hour in a spirit-cation being powerful enough to create some clarity and honor your spirit.

What do you think? How does the idea of a spirit-cation strike you?

Who Am I?

Years ago when I began my spiritual journey I was introduced to a powerful question that changed my life. It's a simple question, one that seems easy enough to answer until you begin to dig a little deeper. As you may be guessing, the question is, "Who am I?"

The power lies not only in the question but how you go about answering it. Asked just once, the answer is simple, "I am Michelle." When asked again, the answer might be something like, "I am a mom, daughter, brunette, woman, friend, or cousin." Continue asking and the answers become deeper, "I am nice, a bitch, happy, angry, sad." Dig deeper and watch as the answers shift from the labels that are me to the essence that is me..."I am water that flows in the ocean, the air that lifts a birds wings, the stars that twinkle, the energy that flows throughout the universe."

It is an amazing experience to uncover and strip away the "idea" of who we are. This is the exercise I embarked on before painting this BIG painting. It is actually 4 pieces of poster board taped together so it is not just big, it is huge. It was the perfect size to answer such a big question.

It was the last painting I did for the painting class that I took called BIG. I loved, loved, loved this class. Everything that Connie did really worked so perfectly. She set us up to really form a community and I've met some amazing people through this class. We bonded in a way that I just didn't expect.

She encouraged us to explore who we are through paint, to allow our creativity to soar and to be expressed without fear and judgement. She guided us every step of the way and supported us when things got tough. She shared herself with us in a deep and vulnerable way which let us know that she understood where we were and that we were going to be OK...no, better than OK, awesome!

I am so grateful for the experience I got taking this class. It has unleashed things in me that I didn't know were there to be unleashed. It has changed me in ways I could have never expected. It is more than just painting, it is empowering and freeing and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Go there, check it out. Dig in, sign up. Give yourself this gift.