“Contain your experience with the divine so that it does not escape you but rather shapes you. Be silent. Silence will help you avoid engaging in the games of competition and illusion that regularly seduce us in the outside world. Silence also helps you avoid distraction. It helps focus the busy mind—-the mind that always has to be doing something, thinking something, the mind that always has to be otherwise engaged lest it become introspective and allow the soul’s voice to override its own. The silence I am describing is a silence that you use to contain the grace you receive when you enter the Castle of your soul. This quality of silence allows you to engage in discernment. You carry this silence within you, even when you are with others. It allows you to hold your center amid the chaos of your life; it keeps you clear so that you do not do or say things you will regret or make decisions out of fear.” Caroline Myss
Painting, art, creativity, they are my life. Add in family, friends, animals and nature and that sums up my passions, add in books and movies and the list is complete. *Oh my I forgot to add in spirit or god or whatever you call source, my spiritual practice is so combined with my art practice that I forgot to put that on my list of passions :-). Art is top of the list and always has been, it is why I am not married and why I have no children, not that you can't do art while being married, many have, but to me it was too big of a distraction to really consider seriously, not to belittle love, I also never found the right man :-). To do my art I have given up money, very few vacations for me or fancy cars or fancy houses as I work little, so I can paint a lot, and have not yet made enough on my art to live on, I say yet as I believe that is coming and already on it's way.
I love my life, every minute of it and I would not trade it for anyone else's life. Money and my own family are not too high a price to pay for this life of constant art making and quiet and peace.
I sale my art in many places, galleries, websites, Etsy, Redbubble and something has come up that has been bothering me, a lot. Branding! They all ask, what's my brand! First off I hate trendy things and I hate that name. I am not a cow. I think if you have a clothing line or make cupcakes then yes, have a brand, but for those of us that make one of a kind, handmade, unique pieces of art having a brand is not something that is possible.
I see so much cookie cutter art out there and it may in fact have a brand, but it does not fit what I do at all.
How do the rest of you deal with this? No offense if you have a brand, this is just a personal feeling I have about such things :-). I needed to rant a bit. Let me also say that there is much wonderful art out there that inspires!
I have no art to show as I am working away on my big 47"x 47" and it is very labor intensive, I will say there is much sewing, and burning of holes going on :-).
Happy Sunday. XOXO
