Category Archives: Creative Process

A Painted Adventure

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by in Art Craft and Beauty, Creative Process, Faery, Following Delight, Magic

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Faery River painting In Progress

Through the studio inspiration flows as a river from faery. Painting – my prayer, my ritual, my magic – brings me to the power in the land.

I’ve been painting more now, when I have to travel to my studio, than I ever expected. Having a dedicated space encourages me to set aside time for painting and encourages focus. I’ve got at least five paintings in progress now, including ones I’ve not worked on for almost a year which are suddenly talking to me again!

The more I paint the more truth I find in the thought that painting is prayer and prayer is conversation with the divine. I’m finding my magic leading me deeper into art and further into working with the magic of the land I live upon and the people I am descended from. The stories of Y Mabinogi resonate in this landscape and the Norse tales echo in my bones. I find myself painting Blodeuwedd and Freya side by side.

My own work with the Faeries is still central to all that I do and it is becoming clear that my path is taking me deeper into exploring the magic of this land. As I open to listening, the responses come back clearer and clearer…

I find myself stepping back magically from other traditions (though they still inform my practice) and deepening the connections within my heart, working directly with the spirits and gods who are walking with me. Its an exciting time and I do not know quite where this path is heading but I know it is enchanted!

It is wonderful, the magic that occurs when you make space for it.

How are you making space for the things you love? And what path opens up to you when you do so?

Religious Art, Spiritual Art

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in All Posts, Art Craft and Beauty, Creative Process, Magic, Philosophy

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Perhaps painting is a prayer.

A prayer as a conversation with the divine… sometimes one-sided, sometimes where understanding flows thick and tangible between those present.

Once released into the world it becomes an invocation… invoking into those that view it the feelings found by the artist in dialogue with the divine.

A blessing or a curse.

Through what do you pray?

And what do you invoke into the world?

Dream to reality…

08 Sunday Apr 2012

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A month ago I posted about my longing for room to paint… since then I have cleared a corner in my living room where I can prop a large canvas and give my wings space to stretch and it worked! I made space and the expanses of colour I’ve been dreaming of became possible!

Image: A small space and a large artwork in progress
A work in progress filling the space…


Suddenly it felt easier to breathe into my art-making, to relax into it without a sense of constricting and confining what I make. Working on a small scale became easier too. I created the final three cards for the Faery oracle deck I’ve been working on directly onto the cards as I travelled.

Image: Faery Oracle Card

Tiny pictures completing the set...

And then, this Full Moon, I had an unexpected phonecall.

An offer of a space in a shared studio, in the centre of the town I work in!

A collective of artists, a light, airy space, a new project with room to grow…

How could I say no to the perfect opportunity?!

I am so excited to see where this leads next…

As I learn again and again; when I say yes to what I truly want, it comes to me.

What do you need to say yes to today?

Longing for space…

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Creative Process, Following Delight, Reflections

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Pink Winged being flying

Can I spread my wings and allow myself to be bigger than I am already? Can I keep growing and exploring and playing? Can I afford to keep playing small? Can you?

Something in this post by Pixie has cracked my heart.

I gazed at the images of her filling her new space, of her Pandora’s box and giant thirsty canvasses, and my breath caught in my throat.

I’ve long longed to spread colour on larger canvasses, to have a bright space full of sunshine and shelves and drawers and places to put my paints within easy reach… I’ve long kept my artworks small because my living space seemed to require it.

But what if that isn’t so?

What if that cannot be so?

What if I can spread out and create the space I need in this wonderful home of ours?

What if I only think I cannot spread my wings out as far as I wish to?

What if my thinking small, my playing small, is the only thing keeping me that way?

Maybe I’ll try a bigger canvas and decide it isn’t for me… but I have everything to lose by never trying… and much to gain if I do.

Time to stop waiting for the right time.

Open, Breathe, Remember.

Dreaming of a Grove

26 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by in Creative Process, Faery, Following Delight, Magic

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The Enchanted GroveI have a dream…

A dream of a place where people can gather and share and support each other in the path of enchantment, of Faery, of magic and spirit.

A place which holds space for play and the search for delight in the everyday.

A place where people can discuss serious thoughts about a-rational things, and playful thoughts about serious things.

A place for art and music and devotion and learning and healing and empowerment.

A place where your religion doesn’t matter, where magic as metaphor and magic as real is equally as precious because it is the experience and the enchantment it gives you that matters.

An Enchanted Grove.

I dream that one day this will be a physical place, a tangible space, or maybe even many spaces across the world…

For now, I’m planting the seeds of an online grove… there are a few feylings there already and soon I hope to open it up to more wandering wonderers.

I’m making my dreams come true…

Would you care to join me?

Being a Creative Philosopher in an Analytic World.

26 Thursday May 2011

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Emerging

Many things make up who we are - what do you share and what do you keep precious from the world? When do you ignore the 'sensible' and leap into what you love?

How often have I tried to hide?

I know it would be safer to keep my head down, to keep my lunacy separate from the rational academia in which I’m slowly-slowly carving a place for myself, and yet I also know that to hide is to deny myself.

So I shut my eyes and I leap.

I see a scary thing ahead, and I take a deep breath and tell my Sensible Self to close her eyes… and then the moon-kissed heart of me steps off the cliff and trusts the wind to carry her.

It’s never dropped me yet.

I know as well as you do the risks of being seen as crazy – it’s a not-so-secret fear of mine, you know? – if they see me and dismiss me I’ll be left out in the cold. If they think I’m crazy they’ll turn me away… I’ll lose friends and opportunities and it’ll all be for nothing.

So says my Sensible Self. She has good reason to believe these things, and yet I know that even if the worst happens, the Wind will not drop me. At least, he will not drop me far!

I’ve friends who have seen me star-struck and moon-kissed and standing on edges. I’ve friends who’ve stood beside me as I’ve opened doors and boxes which Sensible Me says would be better left closed. In leaping I’ve found people who encourage me to fly, even in the most unexpected places.

Those who shake their heads and sigh do not need to know my heart, but as long as I follow it, the Wind will carry me when the ground falls out beneath my feet. Those that know what flying means will soar with me, even if they ride another breeze.

And only those that understand dreams of flight are worth sharing my secrets with. Only those who already share a spark will understand what I say.

And so I come full circle.

No longer do I hide, but neither do I need to tell everyone I meet my deepest, brightest secrets. That those lights guide me is no reason to announce it to the world.

My dreams, my passions, my obsessions filter into my academic work, and you’d be amazed at how often people ignore the bits they do not understand. It’s not easy to have a touch of the irrational in a world of rationality, but they feed each other and both grow stronger from it.

I am me. Every day I learn to be more me, I am always becoming, and I do not hide…

But I do keep secrets.

***

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Enchanted Empowerment – Genesis

20 Friday May 2011

Posted by in Creative Process, Following Delight, Philosophy

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Purple Flying Fish

Enchantment and empowerment work together to transform our lives into something extraordinary!

You may have noticed a sudden invasion of flying fish on this site…

They are, in fact, a Sign!

A little while ago I was rolling the sense of enchantment on my tongue, wondering what was missing. I am a devotee of delight, constantly seeking to re-enchant my life and the world around me (though I’ll be the first to admit that its an ongoing saga, a work in progress for certain!) and yet there was something missing in my writings, something with backbone, something to give the enchantment strength… and so it came together in my mind!

The missing link was power; the power that rises from within, the power of choice, the power to shape our lives in the ways we choose.

As soon as the word ’empowerment’ clicked in my mind I understood: we need power to make our dreams come true, and we need to tap into the wonder of enchantment to shape our dreams in enchanting ways that feed our heart and souls.

And so the concept of ‘Enchanted Empowerment‘ was born!

This is so huge a concept that I felt the need to start at the beginning, and a week-long outline expanded into 6 months! I began, then, with Compass Building. Starting with where we are, Here and Now, a return to centre. Month one stands alone as a foundation for enchanted empowerment, and it will be built on further… first spiralling outward to the points of the compass, and then in creating a map to our dreams!

I don’t know where the flying fish came from, but once they appeared they’ve followed me since.

And they really do make me smile…

For more information on the course, and to sign up check out the page for month one here.

And for a weekly email of musings and updates sign up here!

Beltane! Art! Possibilities!

04 Wednesday May 2011

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Ink swirls form into shapes, like rorschach tests they show to us our hearts... I see a dancing faery goblin, what do you see?

I’m so excited that the summer is here! (For my readers in the Southern Hemisphere, thank you for letting us have our turn with the sun 🙂 )

Even though this past week has been really tough, it feels like the world is full of possibilities.

Beltane is that time when the past falls away and you can step into the future, so it makes sense that now is the time that things are shifting towards more freedom, even as it brings less certainty.

Just this last week my beautiful babbit died, circumstances surrounding my job have become unstable, and my partner rolled and wrote-off our car. So we’re pet-less, car-less and soon to be job-less…

Despite this, we’re both rather positive about life, it really feels like a door is opening, even though I can’t see it and have no idea where its leading! I don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills without a job, or get a new one with no transport, but somehow, I know it’ll be ok.

I’m at that point of breathing deeply and hoping I see the opportunity as it comes round the corner in time to grab it with both hands and ride!

Its hard, and its sad, and its scary, and yet… there is hope.

I spent Beltane-day itself making art… the colours flowed across the page and images emerged! I love making pictures so much and I’m trying to find ways of sharing the joy with other people, so many of the pictures I made this weekend will be landing on Etsy. I plan to post each one here first with a story or a poem or a little bit of writing to accompany it so you can see the story behind the paint!

And, secretly, I’m working on a special offering, an e-course on enchanted empowerment… keep watching this space for more!

In the meantime, how many people would be up for a series of posts on the nature of creativty? A little bit of philosophy, a little bit of inspiration, a little bit of practical-how-to on finding your confidence and creating intuitively? Comment below and let me know if you’d be interested… and what you might like to hear about.

PS: You can subscribe to my weekly newsletter if you like, with musings not posted on the blog, just go here! Or use the links above-right to sign up to my newsletter, the blog, or both! 🙂

Letting go in the Process

23 Saturday Apr 2011

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Passion

How play helped me to release perfectionism and be happier with my art!

I’m an artist! Yay!

I make pictures and share them with people…

And I get sad that they are never quite what was in my head.

Continue reading →

Retreats

08 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by in All Posts, Art Craft and Beauty, Creative Process, Philosophy

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Every time I come across mention of a creative retreat, I wish I was on one.

People talk of meeting other writers and spending a block of time just writing together, sharing stories and ideas and support, challenging each other and being there for each other. This appeals to me.

People talk of getting together with other artists to carve out a precious piece of time dedicated to creating art, honing skills, and immersing themselves in the creative process. This, too, appeals to me.

I love working with other people around, also working on the same kind of thing. Going on the university run Philosophy conference sets aside time in a beautiful place dedicated to just doing Philosophy and inspiring each other, and means that all sorts of things happen in writing and sparking ideas.

Maybe, then, instead of trying to set aside time to study each day I can plan a ‘private conference’ for myself, where I listen to philosophical podcasts, hunt down articles and offer up ideas for comment soemwhere like Facebook. Perhaps doing this will inspire me to dive back into my studies, and interacting with others will help me keep motivated?

Perhaps I could invite others over for creative afternoons, even if we just connect through Skype and blogs and Facebook? And perhaps, if no-one else is available, I can allow myself time for specific projects that I can get excited about in the anticipation-soaked wait… so half the reason, the retreat side of retreating, can at least be pressent.

I could join in on Play-date Tuesday, or workless Wednesday.

I could join the One World, One Heart giveaway to focus myself.

I could solicit interest here and now… Anyone up for getting together sometime? Either digitally or, even better, in person? Bring your creative project and I’ll bring mine, we can picnic in a park or make forts in a living room! Any other philosophy students out there? We can share interesting online talks, share summaries of our current pieces for inspiration and support, maybe even *gasp* get some discussion going?

Anyone else interested?

In the meantime, I’m going to experiment with reframing ‘study-sessions’ into ‘private conferences’ or retreats and see if I can get back into my studies by imagining they’re as fun as they are!

(I enjoy my studies while doing them, its getting started that I’m struggling with… bribery, time-limits, and making a schedule hasn’t helped so far, lets see if making a game of it will!)