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.

Join Me on My Painting Journey

 I've been on a painting journey and I wanted to bring you along for the ride. 

 The beginning stages of a painting for me are so fun. It is freeing to splash the paint around and play.

 Adding darkness and shapes.

 Being drawn to more color is always exciting. 

I've been loving all things turquoise lately so it is no surprise it showed up. 

 The energy is rising. 

 Typically for me there is a point in every painting where I absolutely hate it. This is the beginning of this stage here. 

 I brought in some pinks and it feels better. 

 Playing with the darkness on the left. 

 There was a need for softness. My soul was calling out for softness and light.

 Frustration has come over me and I know I need to paint through it. I don't want to but I know I have to. 

 These horrible faces appear and I didn't even want to give them mouths but I knew they had something to say. 

 They had so many lessons to teach me. I am so grateful I gave them mouths. :o) I was called to transform them.

This is the final piece. It feels so good to me because of the journey it took me on and the healing I experienced on that journey. 

It doesn't hurt that I was able to paint out in my screen room, overlooking the green grass and listening to the birds chirp. 

Or that I was kept company by my sweet little puppy Elly. 

Love!

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.

Baseball and Embroidery

I am about to enter my busiest time of the year. Spring is like no other season for me. As many of you know, I have 5 boys. I have 4 of them living home with me now and they all play baseball on some level. One plays in college, one in high school, and two play for travel teams. That amounts to a whole lotta baseball. 

A small yarn and bead mandala

I recently finished putting my schedule in the calendar for the upcoming season and realized that I am going to have on average, 15 games a week. OMG! Of course I won't be able to go to all those games because there are some days that all 4 of the boys are playing in 4 different towns so my husband and I will be doing a lot of dividing and conquering to spread the love as much as possible.

In the past I've been overwhelmed, angry, and spent a lot of time feeling victimized by my situation. Of course I know I could just say, "no more baseball kiddies!" but that's never going to happen so I have learned to embrace it as best I can and try to find balance.

Playing around with a face

The first few years I cried a lot. That doesn't happen anymore. I now listen to audio books at the games, spend time preparing menus and dinners ahead so I am not in panic mode, and make sure I have everything I need in my car no matter what the weather. Yes, I have a sleeping bag ready to go all the way into August. Hee hee.

12 x12 garden mandala
 

This year I've decided to take it a step further. I have taken up a new hobby that I can bring along with me. With so much time spent outside the house, this can be a time when my creativity really suffers. So why not bring the creative fun with me?

A gift for a dear friend

I decided embroidery would be a totally new and fun thing to try and one that can easily be carried from field to field and as long as the weather cooperates I can be stitching in between innings. I am so excited about this. My 15 year old is not at all thrilled. He said, "Mom, please don't bring this to my games! It's so embarrasing! It's what old ladies do!" Hahahahaha! I love it!

Small leaf in progress

Of course I haven't been able to wait for the games to start so I've been having all kinds of fun playing around. I made sure I brought it with me to my son's orthodontist appointment to work on in the waiting room. I want to make sure he eases into the idea. Maybe those baseball games won't be so traumatic.

Have you recently taken up a new hobby? I'd love to hear about it. Maybe you can give me some new ideas. I still have a week or two til baseball starts. ;o)

Outside My Creative Box

In an effort to find something to do creatively outside of the mandalas that I've been making for Inner Alignment Mandalas, I decided to jump into my Pinterest Boards and see what I could come up with for inspiration.

Source: Gypsyville.com

 

I have had this big chunky necklace pinned on my Crafty Craft board for ages. I love the combination of colors!

Source: Christy Tomlinson



 Not long ago I pinned these paperclay hearts and I decided to combine them and create my own fun jewelery.

 

I started with some air dray clay and made a shape that I stamped with my word of the year. Then I went to town beading. It was so fun to do something a little different and I am happy with the results.

 

 

 Then I was so inspired I made another on and I have to say I love it!

 

 

 

 It's been great fun to step outside of my creative box and try something new.

 

Have you been doing any creative projects that are out of your norm?

 

 

 

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!

Having Fun in My Journal

I've been playing around a little here and there in my journal, just trying to stay loose and have fun. It's interesting that now that I am free to create everyday for my new venture, Inner Alignmnent Mandalas I feel like I need to do a little creative play on the side. Isn't that funny?

I guess it's just a way to stay balanced. The work I do with I AM is beautiful, deep, and spiritual and it is so fulfilling for me. I love every part of the process.

So I guess to keep me balanced I go for dripping, taping, gluing and otherwise messing up my journal pages. It's so fun. I actually ended up writing all over this page which I think is cool too.

So what do you do for fun? Does it involve art?