FINDING THE BEAUTY IN YOU
How was your love month? Did you get the chance to reflect on last month’s wallpaper about the first duty of love is to listen?
Me? well, in my perfect life where everything ALWAYS GOES TO PLAN…..
Let’s see - I always listen to my better self, and eat healthily. No biscuits or sugary treats.
Have loving, gentle conversations only with my toddler and husband. finish off my to do list early and enjoy a hot cup of tea after an afternoon walk.
Making dinner from scratch - the healthy kind not just cheese on toast. Daily green smoothies and meditation practice.
Read a good book before bed. Sleeping early for a restful night and waking up with perfect hair and skin - no need for makeup for this perfect princess!
ummm.. no
#inmydreamsmaybe
No.
No.
No.
That does not happen. I want that to happen. I even intend for some of that to happen. But wanting and intentions only go so far.
So last few weeks I have been really feeling the quote above.
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time" - Thomas Merton
In real life, I have been in a creation bubble and don’t see myself coming out of that anytime soon for at least a few more weeks.
That means I’m in deep thought 80% of the time. Coming back into the present to do mum things and house chores and actually… you know.. eat food, sleep and all those human needs - Sometimes isn’t done in the most optimal way.
Plus I’m juggling all the ideas jumping around in my head (I usually have 2-3 paintings on the go).
That means there has been days where I don’t leave the house and hardly move my body, but feel entirely exhausted at the end of the day.
it means I have had to really tap into and listen to my intuition.
I’ve had to practice the balance of finding the painting that’s asking to be revealed and NOT losing myself in the process. Listening to the current painting that's on the easel and losing myself in that, but also pulling myself out of it to find myself again.
Listening to what I need outside of the studio. Listening to my body when it needs to be fed or needs a stretch.
YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?
I’ve found listening also requires asking the right questions.
in asking the right questions, you can listen to the wisdom and find the answers that deep down you were really looking for.
ONTO THE NEW WALLPAPER FOR THIS MONTH!
(These wallpapers were created exclusively for Insider members - Sign up to the Insider Library here ...it's FREE to join
You'll get access to artwork to make your screens / desktops beautiful and inspired spaces + get first dibs on specials and exclusive sneak peeks of artwork not shared anywhere else.)
So, I’ve really been losing myself into my work and into my art. And as always when I get into flow, I’ve been asking questions. Not just technical questions, like what colour is next? What else does this composition need? How can I make it feel like this? Which brush will give me the effect I’m after?
But also asking the hard questions - what am I trying to say? What are you (the painting) trying to say? Why am I resisting working on this area? What is it that I’m really avoiding looking at?
These questions lead me to create a better painting. But questions also leads to a process of discovery, or recovery depending on how you look at it.
A journey of finding myself. Of learning more about myself, what I need as well as what my art needs to thrive.
learning to ask the right questions also helps me lean further into finding my voice.
Helping me discover and articulate (in paint at least) what I’m trying to really say in this new collection of works.
Sometimes I wish I knew exactly what the end result will look like and all the steps in how I will get there.
Doing it this way, just going with the flow, embracing the discomfort of the unknown and asking the hard questions — requires a lot of faith in the process.
It requires immense courage to be honest!
Courage to be ok with what you find. Trusting that digging through all the hard questions and bringing up all the yucky stuff (which is bound to happen when you start digging) - will eventually lead to the gold that will make it all worthwhile.
THAT’S MY HOPE FOR MY ART.
To first be an anchor in your spaces for your own self-expression AND two, serves as a mirror to reflect and connect with yourself and help you uncover the gold in your journey.
Not only just something pretty to look at - (still definitely important to me too).
I want my art to be a way for you to lose yourself in the art and at the same time, find yourself too.
This is why I love asking you what you see in your favourite pieces, especially from clients who choose to take one home with them.
The stories, their gold that they see reflect back to them especially as they live with it and grows with them. It’s endlessly fascinating and keeps me digging through the unknown.
So keep telling me!(either email me or find me on Instagram)
keep looking deeper into the art you love!
Don’t just keep it on your screens either!
Invest in art for your spaces so it can be a daily practice and part of your life. (whether it’s mine *hint! hint!* or not!)
Lose yourself and see what gold is reflecting back to you.
MAY YOU FIND AND LOSE YOURSELF IN BEAUTIFUL ART THAT REFLECTS BACK TO YOU, A REMINDER OF THE GOLDEN BEAUTY OF YOU.
x Brenda