There are times when I channel inspiration successfully to create…when I feel completely present and allow God to work through me...conversely…There are times when I allow the overactive power of the mind to cast a shadow on the spark of true inspiration.
The difference is honoring our inner truth, the deeper part of us that feeds our down-to-the-fingertips aliveness and does not judge. Children are such amazing reminders of this…their openness and wonder…their appreciation for the ordinary…their ability to know God because they don’t allow their egos, hidden agendas, or overly packed schedules to get in the way…their boundless energy and enthusiasm for life…their pure, unedited expression (They are so REAL!)…their imagination and how it reflects their connection to something powerful. Children are miraculous.
Nature is also such a wondrous teacher and source of inspiration…beauty, stillness, mystery…each participant with purpose. It goes without saying--God is the greatest artist of all time. Look closely at the detail of a flower, the texture of a rock, the colors of a sunset, the vibrancy of a red bird…to name a few…a feast for the senses…at every turn, absolute splendor reflecting the Divine. I am committed to taking action, allowing the details to evolve one creative moment at a “time.” Longing to be in my studio only keeps me from enjoying what’s right in front of me, so “time” is not literal, but an awareness of focus…seeing each day through a lens of trust, rising to resilience with God’s grace, centering with sacred space…leaning on love and not fear…open to the revelation of the moment…Life is my studio.
I have no desire to be in demand for more than I can deliver…no desire to sell art just for the money…no desire to compromise my vision to follow what’s popular…and no desire to sell art just for art’s sake.
We live in a world with too much stuff already…stuff that keeps up with appearances and gets in the way of the simple…stuff that strains relationships and falsely defines one’s sense of security and self-worth. This “stuff” shows up in many forms…certainly as the more obvious attachment to material things, but what about the “stuff” of the mind? How often do we declutter our thoughts, sort through our "memory-abilia," and toss the patterns that keep us stuck?
Are we holding on to the self-limiting “stuff” of our minds???...stuff that clings to the pains of the past…stuff that avoids solitude, chatters without pause, and urges too much doing…stuff that judges quickly and insists on taking others’ preferences personally…stuff that dulls detail, blurs beauty, and exhausts energy…stuff so engaged in life that life stops being engaging…stuff that strives for acceptance on the outside, contradicting truths on the inside…stuff that befriends resentment by imposing expectations fed by guilt and shame…stuff that prefers to control rather than address underlying fears…stuff that hinges on anger and reacts with the need to be right…stuff that senses inadequacy within and compensates with self-defeating dependence…stuff that tells us to compare ourselves to others to get to know ourselves…stuff that seeks separation and roots meaning in the measures of this world…stuff that addicts to the comforts of complacency, weighting down purpose... stuff that triggers a need to fix instead of feel... stuff that overvalues “self-help” science and intellectual rationales, stifling creativity and distrusting messages of the heart... stuff that masks our natural instinct to be compassionate toward ourselves and others…stuff that tricks the mind into thinking the hunger we feel and the peace we crave can be satisfied by anything other than a spiritual connection.
Hope opens the door to an inner understanding, lifts the heaviness of the mind, and lights another way. Releasing to the unconditional love of our Creator, we gain the courage to choose differently, deliberately, daily…to uplift our thoughts, invoke power from within, and unfold through faith…to follow our spiritual compass and nurture the flowering of the God-planted seeds of our soul…to overcome the snares of our self-critic and expand, not in resistance, but in radiance--not in anger, but in truth.
I believe true art can make a difference and extend beyond the limitations of its medium. I aspire to create art with meaning and purpose…art that cuts through the distractions of life awakens connection, and shines a ray of hope…" works of art designed to inspire™" (derived from the words “in” and “spirit”).
This is my artist statement...the fabric from which I create...the why I do what I do. I will continue on the path of learning and discovery with "hope at the heart." Romans 5:5..."hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts." This Divine love transcends our fears, trusts the expression of our own unique creativity, and guides us with joy and wonder in the brightness of being!
