In addition to yoga (see yesterday’s Be the change you want to see in your life post), a few other things on my list of “if I could do anything” include painting and running. Traveling is of course in there, as if I could do *anything* one of the first things I’d do is set out to travel around & see all of my loved ones all across the globe, with some fabulous adventure in between, no doubt. But the good news is while traveling, I could still do yoga, painting and running! So, right now it’s just about setting the intention and making space for the practice (and habit) to join me in my daily life.
An interesting awareness that I got in writing all of this out — effectively, curious listening — made me realize that all of my stress/escape messages are all about diving within to be with my body and spirit, vs. outward distractions, e.g. partying or fleeing the scene (not that I haven’t done that or dreamed about that at some point, too). This is awesome, because I truly believe we have so much wisdom, strength and creativity within each and every one of us. It can take courage to harness it, but man, it is SO worth the journey.
The life you want starts right here. Right now.
In the last month I have been listening, and I have heard over and over, “Wake up, Draw, Paint, Write.” I’ll get into some of the fears and such that have come up a bit later, but for now I’m proud to report that since I’ve made a commitment to listen and act on these dreams, I am doing just that: I am seeking an art studio/office space for drawing/painting/creating!
As most of you know, I’ve been a full time artist for the last 7 years, running two small businesses. I worked out of my home for the first 5 years – which I loved, but was also delighted to have my home be just my home again. Then I was fortunate to have offices downtown in the last 2 years, but they’ve all been very corporate settings. Meaning, not space to paint & get messy.
In this same vein of making space, in June I started doing some major clearing in home: I got rid of my TV (gasp, I know!), which helped clear out an entire piece of furniture, and then some (see my post with photos). Since then, my purging and spring cleaning has barely slowed down: I’ve gotten a new couch, continued to clear out my drawers and closets and have another fun home project in the works.
So as much as I’ve been loving cultivating space in my little home, in advance of not waiting around for the perfect art studio, on New Years Eve I rearranged my living room to make it a temporary office/art studio! I am excited about eventually moving it out to a larger space, with other artists, but for now I’m thrilled about it being here and *ready*. Come on in, creativity, there is space for you here!
Mind you, my living room is also going to be my yoga studio for the next 30 days.
It’s a small room, but I’ve made it feel big, so I think it’s just right for now. 🙂
Blank Canvas
Another super fun painting adventure I’m embarking upon is this awesome course by my friends — and two of my favorite painters! — Mati Rose and Lisa Congdon, called Get Your Paint On! You can even see one of Mati’s paintings sitting to the right of my monitor in the photo above.
I’m suuuuuper excited for this class, as I really haven’t taken a painting class, ever, I don’t think (how is that possible?). I was daunted at first, but I gotta say, I’ve been doing really good at wrangling my inner critic lately, so now I’m mostly just giddily excited. 🙂
Wahoooo! This year is going to be awesome.
