Art as a form of Reciprocity
Linked with elements seen and unseen, art and its creation provide ways to balance and re-create our reality.
Mandala Rose, Where Spirit Becomes Matter
Watercolor on cold press paper. Get the print here.
My creative process is a type of reciprocity. As I listen and look deeply into the a flower, I’m participating in a dialogue. Each brushstroke is an expression of gratitude it reveals the mystery of its existence. A seamless flow of giving and receiving occurs as I translate the interaction into color and form. My paintings are a record of these interactions.
Excerpt from my article about Mandala Rose, Where Spirit Becomes Matter
“Creation happens at the magical juncture between spirit and matter. The intersection of physical and non-physical. In us, it's where our body and energy field meets. In art, it is the same. A piece of artwork that speaks to us informs our energy field first. It fills the environment with a kind of beauty that anchors the infinite. Beauty makes us slow down, stop, and smell the roses. It makes us feel good. But we must choose it.”
Muse News, September Notes
Give and take, it’s a dance we’re all doing. Throughout our lives, it requires sensitive maneuvering. Call it the movement of life in, of, and through us. The origin of this impulse remains untouched and pure at our core. As artists we venture into this liminal space which gives us great joy to share.
When we love what we do we are moved to share, often with complete abandon. We think nothing of giving because it’s completely natural and it feels good. We might not even realize we’re doing it, which is a common theme for artists and lovers alike.
Giving is natural and creativity makes it easy.
At some point, as we’re growing up, we put away our hobbies. For many, putting aside our art is the right choice. Sadness is usually involved as we make the sacrifice. It's the right thing to do, we tell ourselves and are told by everyone around us. And down an alternate road we go for practical reasons.
Tantamount to marginalizing joy, this affects not just us, but those around us including those we’re sacrificing for.
There’s no one right way. We all go through this initiation and come out the other side. However, if we’re truly being responsible, questioning what that actually means is necessary. Developing our art means we are developing and we should never stop.
Artists of all disciplines guard the impulse behind the act of creation. It is foundational. Even a hobby can help bring us through difficult times, multiply our joy when it’s in short supply, and act as an essential nutrient for our healthy thriving. It brings in strength through connection. Practicing our art aligns us to our good.
Exquisite Paintings on the Nature of Flowers is a body of work based on a sophisticated visual analysis of Nature's frequencies = LOVE. My long-standing body of work, ongoing and now in phase two, began in the early 1990s and is the culmination of a lifetime quest—a sacred journey into the heart of Nature, beauty, and healing the myth of separation.
Cave Art and Ancient Practices
The creative realm has long been known for its ability to potentiate the connection between spirit and matter. There was little separation for our ancestors who lived at the mercy of the elements. Negotiating liminal space well was a valuable skill. For generations, our grandmothers and grandfathers served within tribal communities that recognized this. Give-and-take was always included.
Evident in the cave paintings of Lascaux, France are rituals and ceremonies performed to ensure sustenance, the hunt in this case. Related artifacts are found worldwide, but they’re especially well preserved at Lascaux. Today we go to the supermarket and buy pre-packaged meat. You know the story. Our connection with the spirit of life, including those animals who gave their lives is seriously compromised.
As indigenous humans, we are obliged to give and receive. Though forgotten, the movement of reciprocity is inbuilt and now re-emerging in the collective as a matter of practical-spiritual necessity. It is the overall focus of my work and the energetic signature of my painting Mandala Rose, Where Spirit Becomes Matter.
Art and the making of it is the closest thing modern culture has to its indigenous human roots. The liminal was more tangible and real for our ancestors. Woo didn’t exist. We had to be attuned to nature, its fierceness, gentleness, all of it. Our awareness was grounded in our environment, cyclic rhythms, and a greater intelligence that kept us alive and thriving. The invisible world of spirit was part of everyday life, and this aspect of life was honored.
Current day Art and practice
When art moves us, our energy goes into a higher octave of spin. Our capacity for life grows. The benefits are real but there is little context for it in current-day life. We are prone to the rush of common addictions mistaking that for the nuclear spin of our our atomic core. The difference is subtle but unmistakable once the distinction is made. Art and creativity play a significant role in helping us understand and make that distinction. It then becomes harder to choose what drains our life force.
It’s the quality of energy determines our interactions and transactions. And herein lie the roots of reciprocity. It’s never a payoff. It is an honoring of both seen and unseen dimensions that we inhabit but have forgotten.
Our over-reliance on the mental realm has revealed its failings in recent years. The destruction it’s created on our beautiful planet has become increasingly apparent. Our knowing, however, comes through on a deeper and more sustainable channel as the great mystery invites us into higher alignment.
The optimal use of our faculties, our rightful place in nature, and a healthy connection to Mother Earth is ultimately where it’s at. As things come apart, social structures fail and re-organize, we look for ways to correct the mess. Guidance comes in the form of feeling the rightness of our transactions, agreements, or the lack thereof.
Reciprocity is a word, a representation of a concept that’s been lost to mainstream western thinking. An Oxford dictionary definition will not give you its meaning. The main distinction I want to make here is that it's not based on a give-to-get system. It is something we come to understand from our orientation to life, our unique gifts and true responsibility to life.
We live in times that require us to listen to the still small voice within. Taking care to hear with greater clarity, as we place our focus on what truly matters. How you feel and what you choose doesn’t have to make sense to everyone else. It usually doesn’t when you’re an artist, or lover for that matter. Same, same.
—Leslie
Thank you for reading Muse News, Beauty in Your inbox, and The Mind Behind the Artwork. I’m an independent artist, passionate about life and creativity. To acquire original artwork, contact me. And if you like what I’m doing, please donate. Your support is appreciated. I’m glad to have you along. —Leslie