Being real and finding the balance
An artists' identity is anyones' identity in times of extreme change.
Title Peony Holy Fire, Phoenix Rising, watercolor.
Key Notes Burning off Dross, Regeneration and Renewal
A few days before the winter solstice of 2021, the image of a peony appeared in my minds’ eye. I prepared a drawing in anticipation of the painting that was to come.
Shop prints of this painting here.
The drawing, shown above, would be the framework for when the energies fully arrived. Curious about the name for this painting, I waited, and as the painting took form I heard the words Holy Fire. Weeks later, Phoenix Rising was added. This piece was created at the height of the pandemic and the energies associated with it are fitting to this day.
Muse News, October Notes
By definition, being an artist can mean so many things. These days, dissociative ideas, concepts, and philosophies permeate. But these things can distract us only for a limited time. Creation always clears itself of whatever stunts its growth. Fresh new shoots emerge, and the resulting art, music, literature, whatever the creation is, comes forward revealing something significant about the time it appeared.
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.
Identity.
Mental constructs that tell us who and what we are are becoming increasingly unpopular. With the contrast turned way up, we see more clearly both en masse and individually. Once we recognize a not-me theme playing, returning to our old ways is no longer an option.
Regardless of the consequences, we shed old skins as we grow and transform into a more mature and whole version of ourselves. Like the true artists we are, we alchemize the shadows and new pathways appear before us. They were always there, just obscured.
True self beckons.
But who is my true self? And why do we need to ask this question?
Like frogs in hot water, an undercurrent of thought influences us to grasp ideas of smallness. We can be tricked into mistaking this for power and striving to preserve our identity, we stifle our life force.
Slowly, we start believing we are something other than ourselves. We forget, and as a result, we become identified with things in an environment of time, rather than our true spirit. Thingification is what I call it.
Amazingly, underneath it all, we know our being more accurately defines us. As if it could ever be defined. Our doing, ideas, concepts, and labels are not what makes us who and what we are. However, when balanced, we treasure our being and enjoy our doing. The two function in a mutually supportive dynamic.
Light, incoming and outgoing.
Awareness, an aspect of our being, can open doors, windows, and new pathways for us and others.
This may seem like a tangent, but do you remember learning about the double-slit experiment in physics class? It was first conducted in 1801 by a scientist named Thomas Young. Yes, that far back. More recently, author and speaker Gary Zukav brought things current with his book The Dancing Wu Li Masters, published in 1980.
“According to quantum mechanics, there is no such thing as objectivity. We cannot eliminate ourselves from the picture.” Gary Zukav from The Dancing Wu-Li Masters
The quote below is from an article by K. Baclawski @ IEEE Xplore.
“How does observation affect physics? Abstract: The observer effect is the fact that observing a situation or phenomenon necessarily changes it. Observer effects are especially prominent in physics where observation and uncertainty are fundamental aspects of modern quantum mechanics.”
Reality.
Everything is connected, and paying attention influences reality. Thus, paying attention to what we are paying attention to, and how we are doing it is critically important.
This knowledge is power, and we often put it into practice without realizing it. As artists, it hastens the release of untruths while clearing the way for the new. With it, we rewrite the times we live in and inadvertently call attention to what is most valuable. The arts are often suppressed for this reason.
Focused attention, intention, and its application are three mechanisms of creativity. When the quality of our attention comes from the stillness of our being, it carries power from the source of our being. It claims more wholeness with sustainability built in.
We all want to live in an abundant state. By choosing Love rather than thingification, the paradigm shifts into higher gear. We bring Love out of the shadows and outgrow our former states of ignorance.
Artist or not, when we act from a place anchored in the wellspring of our being, life supports us, and our fullness overflows. It’s hard not to share when we stumble upon this truth. Our natural state is surely one of giving and receiving.
—Leslie
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