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These little artworks (5 x 5inch acrylics on canvas) form part of the gifts for those who contributed $25 to my project. These mini paintings are kinda studies for AND mini versions of my bigger paintings. It was a nice change to take out my tiny brushes that were used for illustration school. I love the slow dabbing of tiny details but not the cold cold hands that develop from holding my hands still for teeny brushstrokes. 

If you'll like to help me jumpstart my art - contribute to the projectand gift yourself a mini original painting before I release them to the public at retail price.

morning moment: {def.} a note of art, thought, or creative prettiness to start the day I wanted to share this poem by Samantha (found via Danielle Laporte -- her SPARK KIT made her one of my heroes.) Like me, she's a list-maker too which means a lot of daydreaming into the future so Samantha's theme for this year was 'To be present' -  she's practicing being present by writing a poem a day. In her words it's to: "... train me to see the world constantly with the eyes of a poet, which means to slow down, savour, take delight in, and note the very essence of the world around me."

to be present

The present paper thin be careful it is dissolving as you read this new moments erupt under your feet fill each one with awareness witness your heart beats can you believe it your body coaxes you onward constantly utter faith that you will spend the offering of life wisely.

AN INVITATION

My morning routine was a structure to practice 'being present'. This morning I thought I'll also extend Samantha's invitation to create your art (like a poem) or whatever your little 'being present' practice is. You will see the world anew, let it be "revealing shades of the day you would otherwise surely have missed."

Sashé Studio Shoppe Feature: An artwork highlight with the thoughts and stories behind the piece.

You can buy 'Among the Nebulous Mind' in the Shoppe (click image for a larger view)

BEEN THINKING LATELY ABOUT THE IDEA OF SURRENDER.

Last Sunday, a speaker at my church also spoke about surrendering - as a form of giving up our rights - for the benefit of others. This got me thinking about how much I had slowly begun to claim my rights -- the right for a healthy mind & body, the right to sleep in when I'm tired, the right to do what I want especially when it suits me though it isn't convention nor suits others.  All of which is true, I DO have the right.

Taking control of everything.

Unfortunately some of what I'm doing to uphold these rights - like creating habits or ignoring others opinions - has become an easy slide into attempts to take complete control. Control of Every. Single.Thing. When I start to clamor for full control, it's because I'm beginning to feel the fear monsters breathing down my neck, or the doubting voices are just a little too loud to ignore. That's when I also start to distrust my intuition & decisions and my days feel like I'm trying to swim through mud. It's murky and floaty and drowning-ish.

Surrender = freedom + peace

I have to balance all this with surrendering to the process. When I paint, the best & easiest works occur when I surrender to the process. When I get unreasonably upset with myself for not meeting expectations, I have to remember a habit is a tool to help, not a deity to appease. When I trust my instincts and give up trying to control the outcome - I become more open to new stories & discover different & almost counter-intuitiveperspectives. There is more kindness & expansion. More trust to listen to the Spirit & my intuitive voice. There may be less control - but certainly also less fear & anxiety. I may not know what is going to happen next, yet I sense peace in 'knowing' it will be alright. This is the same with people & relationships. When I surrender to the fact that I can't control everything, I can't dictate how & when & what -- I can just focus on the relationship. Not the outcome or the transaction. By giving up my 'rights', I allow the freedom of others to share their view & perspective. Surrender allows space for the generous spirit & helps nurture relationships. I also make room for new stories & experiences I love but would never had dreamt up on my own.

among the nebulous mind

Among the Nebulous Mind continues my exploration of surrendering to my intuition and following my colour instincts. Allowing the process to guide my brush to create moods & emotions. The blue journey isn't usually my immediate colour choice, yet this piece came about from the idea of in-between spaces. The vague notions of serenity & worry. I really love the lack of solid recognizable objects. Similar to that place in our heads when we're alittle floaty but there is depth yet to be explored, both fearful from being anchor-less yet hopeful at the possibilities. There's a touch of zing, like those little flashes of insight, (our minds can be like that sometimes) hazy & clear all at the same time.

What do you see in this painting?

What would you surrender for more freedom & peace?

morning moment: {def.} a note of art, thought, or creative prettiness to start the day.

I love reading 300words a day (following Jesus) by Jon Swanson. He writes succinctly & with an honesty and perspective I find refreshing. Sometimes the articles are gentle reminders, sometimes he asks questions I will spend days to reflect on. The most recent of which is: What do you want to remember?

Please take a moment to read it. I'll wait for you to finish. As I review my focus on rituals & routines - Jon made me realise I hadn't really thought about the little habits that I'm already doing unconsciously.

“what are the things that i do without thinking, when there is nothing but habit to guide me?”

I hope I will still do my morning routine. To touch base with God & my creativity. I hope I'll still pursue a mindful creative life. Painting & living with great design & beautiful art. I hope I'll still find joy in deep conversations. I hope I'll still find comfort in crazy, chaotic dinner catch-ups with family and friends. I hope I will forget about checking facebook, or youtube or my emails. I hope I will forget to watch that must-watch tv show or must-read 'it' book. I hope I forget the feeling of not being good enough to pursue my dream. Now I'm off to work on my heart memory -- store it with the habits I want to remember.

What do you want to remember?

Rituals & Routines are my theme words for 2011. They have been my touchstone for keeping me grounded during the valley days of fear & doubt. I've also found them very useful for lazy-can't-find-my-groove-motivation days. For all my love of spontaneity, it's the little routines that has helped facilitate my creativity & productivity. I thought I'll share a few of my little rituals to live & maintain a mindful, creative life over the next few weeks

This is my ideal view in the morning.

I make a coffee, make breakfast then I sit down to my little journal to do my morning pages.  I write whatever is in my head. A brain dump. At most I aim for three pages, otherwise I aim for a minimum of one page. I allow pauses for coffee & breakfast, but I don't start my work until this morning routine is done.

A HABIT IN PROGRESS

I still have to consciously put my morning routine into practice.  (It's called ideal cos hey! I'm not perfect - sometimes it's more brunch than breakfast...and don't get me started on weekends)Anyhoo...when I DO practice my morning routine, I've found that by carving out a little space (physically as well as mentally) to begin the day with a little quiet time, has been immensely grounding. As part of my spiritual practice, it means I touch base with God and begin my day with a quiet & connected spirit (from prayer & meditation). I find it helps combat the overwhelm monsters & fears. For my creative practice, all the brain dump & space, the settled mind & spiritual connection allows room for creativity and ideas to prosper. I've also found it great for maintaining momentum with motivation & flow. At first the writing felt impractical, my monkey-mind kept chattering with distraction. As I've done it more regularly, my mind has been able to dump all the negativity, the fears, the whingeing & I begin the day with more focus. Not to mention the basic health benefits of coffee AND breakfast! By treating this simple routine like a ritual has given it the priority in my mind to pursue the practice even on my not-so-good-mornings.

lessons to remember:

A routine helps your practice become a habit: having a daily routine, no matter how strange means you won't have to think too much about what you need to do next nor risk talking yourself out of it. Making it a ritual helps you talk yourself INTO doing it, especially when it's not a habit. It's extra special, important to you AND you get that special fuzzy feeling when you're done. Make it stupidly simple: All the elements are in place - so it's easy to do. The journal & the bible are sitting on the kitchen bench next to all the coffee/tea. I know I always make coffee - so there's no risk of forgetting. I just sit at the bar chair, pick up the pen, take a sip & start writing + I have a checklist I get to cross off when I'm done - so I get a reward in enjoying my coffee & breakfast + I get to cross something off my checklist!Be kind to thyself -- don't let this become another burden on you, or another reason for your monsters to use against your confidence and creativity. Make it easy to do, and don't set the bar ridiculously high. Just start with one thing.Just one! Sometimes I only write one page, sometimes I still feel flustered. As long as I've sat down to write & pray/meditate, even for only 10minutes, I get a tick in my checklist -- it's easy & kind to myself on the days when I need it most. xo brenda

what's your ideal morning routine?

Sashé Studio Shoppe Feature: An artwork highlight with the thoughts and stories behind the piece.

You can buy Starpods in the Shoppe

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR...

While painting this I was thinking about the stars and how throughout the ages, mankind has wondered about them. Linking them to the divine, astrology, watching the seasons, giver of directions  while still being such a natural part of their environment.

HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE...

Some refer to the stars as references of destiny or records of history. I was musing on that reference, in particular the bridge in-between . I love the idea of connecting the dots on your life journey, walking towards your destiny or looking back through time to see your steps of faith and stories that link with a seemingly unrelated decision. I really like the different layers that appeared through the 'leaves' of the pod-like-plant shapes. (That little blue plant on the left was a late surprise) The plants are like new shoots or sprouts -- new growth. A fitting frame for the stars, kinda a double reference of 'new' (new shoots) and 'repeat of the old' (old plants produce replicas of themselves with new sprouts) It's like a little peek through a hindsight lens, that feeling you get sometimes when you look to the night sky at the stars. Plus I really love the glow of the blues - a colour that I don't usually use or am drawn to. (Oh if you could see it in person! If you know me in real life - I would love to show you)

what do you see in this painting?

how does it make you feel?

morning moment: {def.} a note of art, thoughts or creative prettiness to start the day.

It's officially Winter and thus begins my Winter Art Jumpstart Project. If you're not part of my members list, this would be news to you. (sign up here! it's free) The gist of it is, I'm kinda-kickstarting, all out intensely re-committing to creating a body of work during these 90 days. The project is to create 30 paintings (largish) + 10 drawings. Those who wish to help out with my project by contributing much needed funds (for art supplies + coffee & doggy treats for Jelly) could participate and receive gifts in return for their faith in me to take on this mammoth project.If you ARE one of my Winter Project patrons, I would like to once again say a huge THANK YOU! You should see your name on my sidebar and I hope you've signed up to the Winter Project list so you can continue to be updated as I go along this adventure.

It's been just one week since I sent out my little project and I'm pass the half-way mark towards my goal!

(OH EM GEE!!)

So for the launch of this project, I thought I'll share one of my more recent pieces that is aptly titled: Transition. It's about that in-between space, between comfort and change, between fear and desire. It's a fitting image to begin my new project that's equal parts new-intense-changed-mindset-adventure & old-recommitted-path-I'm-already-walking-on.          

Here are a couple work in progress shots (apologies for the iPhone photo quality)

Transition. 20x24inch Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas. (click click for a bigger image)

Thanks for all the love & support. xo brenda          

p.s There is still time if you'll like to participate in the Winter Art Jumpstart Project and get some lovely gifts! Find all the details about the project and gifts here.

More photos from China in smaller towns around ShangHai. It was refreshing to see things in a different light. I also mean that literally, the sky was always that smoggy/hazy/white. I never saw blue sky during my 10 days there. It really affected the colours and atmosphere of the environment. Eerie and enclosed.

I'm still recovering from my whirlwind trip in ShangHai & KL.  So I thought I'll share  some images that are feeding my image-well in my creative mind. (thanks to the Hipstamatic App on my iphone)

Sing" it says: 'she finally released herself to sing

I wanted to share an inspirational interview with Pete Eckert, who demonstrates to me something that echos a quote I love from Mark McGuinness' post about creative blocks (I received some coaching from him. He's great!)

A creative person is a person who creates things.

It saddens me when I hear people say to me: "Oh, I'm not creative!" or "I'm not that creative" When you create something, whether it's a visual piece of art or mini ornaments from office supplies, you're being 'creative'! Please don't get hung up on being creative = must create a masterpiece like the Mona Lisa

| Artists Wanted | In Focus : Pete Eckert from Artists Wanted on Vimeo.

Don't let your own fears, doubts or the standard world view stop you from expressing yourself. Find your song. Whatever that may be like. Pete has had to learn to 'see' differently. Whether it's his visual art, or making bread, he still continues to pursue his desire to create. I love stories like this! It's more than just the novelty of Pete's disability. It's having our logical, rational, everyone-knows-this-to-be-true mindset be rejected; allowing an expansion of our idea of what 'is possible'. So create something, even if you think it's so small it doesn't count. My mum calls it 'living in your own coconut shell' -- until you choose to come out of it, you're stuck in a very small, very limited world. Something you may think is small, can be enough to nudge yourself out of your little coconut shell and see a bigger view!

WILL YOU 'BE CREATIVE' TODAY?

xo brenda

This is a quick hello!

FISHY ANGLE, Acrylic on canvas, 14 x 14inches, ©2010 Brenda Mangalore/ Sashé Studio

I'm working on a few things behind the scenes while working on what I'm want 2011 to look like. I'm looking forward to more travel, hanging out with friends and sticking to my body-rhythm-friendly work schedule. Less fear & insecurity and deeper relationships. So basically more good stuff and less bad stuff. *grin* xo brenda p.s Have you seen my new Sashe Studio Shop yet? Come on over and get yourself some LOVE!

My first prints are available in my little shop! Drawing LOVE is a highly detailed hand drawn doodling design by actual pen! I spent almost 10 hours to create the original - pbew! - with lots of cookies & cups of tea to keep me going. The LOVE print comes with a little extra specialness - personalised with lovers names & a special date. Perfect for Weddings or Anniversaries, though I think they make great 'just because' gifts for your loved ones. Come on over & Give a Gift of LOVE! :)

[Edit: Prints available now!]merry christmas! As 2010 draws to a close, I hope you can look back on the year and reflect on it with the gratitude and wonder I have. I know I am in a little disbelief that the year has gone by so quickly, yet so much has changed this year. I have become a wife and embarked on that new adventure. Just 6 months ago, this journey to fly solo as a fine artist was just a dream, a distant possibility and secret wish. So to you, my dear friends, know this: your secret wishes and dreams are whispering to you for a reason. They long to exist for real and trust me when I say, all change is scary but the journey IS filled with the joy that those whispers are promising.

A time lapse video -- drawing Mark 12:30. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' I took a break half way through drawing because my hand was hurting after an hour straight of concentrated drawing. It was another hour before I finished the drawing. phew! The irony is, it took longer for me to work out how to do all the video things and upload things and editing etc.. It isn't the most profound or flashy. Lots of lessons learnt that will be used for the next video. I am, however quite chuffed with myself for working out how to do it at all. It was frustrating when there were technical difficulties with youtube AND iMovie and wishes for more specialness & effects. In the end, I figured, better done than nit-picking at perfection! Materials: Black Pitt pen on bleed proof paper. The type design can be seen through the paper to save time on tracing just for this video. Music: 'Even the Stones Sing' by Bluetech. photo by dbpwhooosh Enjoy! Love the drawing? You can buy a 5x7in Mark 12:30 print in my shoppe!{p.s This video premiered in my November 2010 newsletter. If you don’t want to watch old news after everyone else, sign up here!}

My first drawings for the shop (opening soon!) [Edit: Prints available now!] When I was younger, I would spend a lot of time doodling away in my journal/sketchbook/visual diary. Not sketching. Just doodling & scribbling doodles of nothing figurative. The thing was, I really enjoyed the creation I was participating in. It was meditative and semi-conscious. I didn't plan where the lines would go, I just kept drawing these lines & squiggles. Its almost like some secret language I was ferociously writing but have no idea what it was saying. So for my first drawing, I thought, since this is my new life, new direction of embracing my creativity, I would go back to doodling. BUT I wanted to tap into my design-life too, my new love affair with type. At the same time, I wanted to create art that isn't just beauty for the eyes, but beauty for the mind & soul. I'm passionate about self-development and this new life has allowed me to really dive into my spirituality & relationship with God. So yay! to encouragement & self-growth as well as prettiness.

love:

As love is the genesis of my new life; the love & encouragement from my loved ones without whom I wouldn't be starting this new 'art thing'.  I thought it best to start with that.

a closeup of the drawing

 I've been slowly fanning a flame of passion for type and my art tends to be about all the little details. It matches my interest in self-growth, noticing all the little details that contributes to the whole. I included other words that I would associate with love -- 'faith' (can you see it in the closeup?),'laugh', 'forgive', 'trust' & 'hope'. These  drawings also plays on the relationships between the negative and positive spaces. Some people prefer to only focus on the positives in life, while some tend to be negative nellys. I think it's best to accept that life will always have both, it kinda needs both in a way and to experience it fully we have to embrace both. So I like how the drawings itself has a life of it's own, with little details and words to take notice of, yet there is something in the negative spaces too. I'm thinking of starting with just the four colours for the shop. Any suggestion for others? There may even be some personalization for couples & families to include their names or special dates . It would be a great gift for Christmas or weddings! Oui? Let me know what you think in the comments! {p.s These drawings debuted in my October newsletter. If you don’t wanna be told old news after everyone else, sign up here! The November issue is coming out soon}

I've been noticing the concept of Wabi-sabi floating around recently, probably due to my challenge to begin and finish work. By challenge I mean, learning to fight ignore my inner critic and tendency to chase perfection. So this struggle has had me thinking about my creative work and pursuing the creative life; in return life re-introduced me to the idea of wabi-sabi. (plus Dr Brene' Brown's Perfect Protest) Wabi-sabi is a Japanese view, or aesthetic based around the acceptance of transience. The idea is seeing beauty in the incomplete, impermanent or imperfect, because nothing is ever complete, permanent or perfect. I love this idea. Some things never really reach that perfect point. Especially when creating art, there is always room for improvement, tweaks and adjustments. I don't think there is anything wrong with striving for your best, I deeply believe we should grow and reach our highest potential.  Perfection on the other hand can be extremely oppressive. It hinders the ability to stop planning and tweaking and just live that dream life of yours already. Maybe what you're working on is just fine as it is, no it's not perfect, but it'll do. Put that creative work out into the world; infuse your life with that creative thing already.

The image above is a painting in progress. The arrows came out when I was trying to find that perfection spot and realized I was paralyzed with the pressure. I find that the pursuit of the creative life has so many possibilities and directions. So does the pursuit of perfection, which can be overwhelming. So when I did let it go, these arrows appeared to remind me of all the different directions that life pulls me but I should let go, step back, and see the whole picture.

Philosophy aside, I also really relate to the aesthetic. There is a certain beauty in the little bumps and cracks that is around us. It seems to be seeped in time, and age adds its own beauty to life. This, I think is why I love polaroids. I love them for their random-ness, I can't control much and there is a little thrill in letting go. One click and the photo spits out whether you're ready or not. The little imperfections ARE their perfection. I've heard about Hipstamatic for iPhone, and couldn't resist it's old school charm. It's based on the effects of an old plastic camera. With different 'lenses' and 'flashes' that create beautiful, dreamy, scratchy effects. (they are responsible for some of the scratchy-ness of the image above and in my birthday post) I look at this aesthetic philosophy as looking at the 'not so perfect' parts of life to find something beautiful about it. It's more than just seeing the silver lining in a situation or "finding the lesson" and all that fluffy feel good stuff. Sometimes life isn't quite what you thought it should be, especially when you're trying to infuse more creativity into it. We can get hung up on what the proper or best looks like, but I find looking for the beauty in the 'imperfect' can help you let go and enjoy. That's also usually when creativity flows more naturally anyway. Are there anything in your life you can look at with fresh eyes and see the beauty? {image by Sashe Studio -- painting in progress. }

It was my birthday last week (25th Oct) , my amazing husband organized a secret sleepover in Rye, a little town near the beach. There was a hammock, a dog beach, good food & wine with a stop over at the peninsula hot springs for 2 hours of blissful relaxation!

My kind of birthday. We even came home in time to have Peking Duck with my family. All in all, it was a simple birthday but filled with the best kinds of joys.

in search of a dog beach

in search of a dog beach

found! leash free beach in safety beach

mr mangalore in the sunlight"

birthday breakfast - lemon tart & fruit toast

my view of happiness

thanks hubby! My life has a hollywood-happy-ending type happiness with you by my side. xoxo

{I'm still working on setting up shop. There are so many little things I need to organise that it's getting a little frustrating, but I'm just going to try and enjoy the process. My first newsletter is also due to go out  in a couple days with sneak peeks at my first lot of drawings. Don't miss out by signing up here.}

I have this pull-out poster of a bear-suited person from frankie magazine on my wall. I tend to just go "Oooh pretty!" and keep images without paying too much attention to who the author/originator is. Many times, I've seen a movie on tv, loved it but won't remember the title of the movie. I'm also bad with knowing the real names of actors... I digress. I found some beautiful works today and it reminded me of my poster. 

bear (the poster on my wall)

Of two minds

Turns out it was by the same artist! Jennifer Davis, a painter of dreamy, surreal & gorgeous images from Minneapolis, USA. I love the quiet tension in her works. It's kinds cute without being cutesy and there is a floating, deeper something else in her work. I like the 'something else'.

float ( i love this one)

Her works are mainly in acrylic, graphite & charcoal on paper or hardwood. It's feeding my inspiration bank, especially the use of paper & the floating quality. I've been thinking about both lately. note to self: pay attention to works you really like. It may feed your inspiration bank, which, is necessary because you never know how it may combine with all the other stuff in you to inspire you just when you need it. Jennifer has a blog of her available paintings & works on paper. There is also her etsy shop, and her website. p.s Are you on my newsletter list? You can get these posts straight to your inbox PLUS  sneak peeks 0f any news in my studio AND first dibs on any specials!Totally win-win my friend; who wouldn't want first dibs?