The Ever-Present Voice of Truth.
Authenticity is always calling; it knows your name better than you do.
Rose, untitled watercolor, almost complete, by Leslie Montana. Something so soft and ephemeral, a rose. It’s practically not there unless we stop, take it in, and let it take us in. Only then do we begin to inhabit the same space as the rose—rarified space.
Typically, we rush by and miss the whole point. Has that happened to you? Enjoyment of beauty is the healing balm we all need, and it’s the underlying theme of my work. The remedy: Slow down and let Beauty re-create your reality.
Muse Notes, June
I’ve been pondering worldwide polarization recently. What’s true, what’s not, who said this, did that, etc. Inflamed by the glow of animated pixels, the masses react with waves of emotion. The media delivers chaos, and people respond. This is the shaky foundation from which our days and perhaps many a sleepless night are lived.
The Nature of Truth is Congruence
Truth is not an empirical thing. It’s not about fighting for a cause, even though that has its place. Much like love, because it is love, truth cannot be measured and made to serve ego and its attachments. It’s a state of being that’s in alignment with natural laws and congruent with the core of our being. It doesn’t vie for attention, but quietly goes about its business; no explanations are needed. When conditions are congruent, we can feel it unless we’ve lost touch with our bodies, environment, our love, and the enjoyment of life.
Putting ideas on a pedestal sets the stage for polarization, also known as separation. Even our best efforts leave us feeling powerless in the face of wrongdoing. The reaction strategy, often perceived as powerful, doesn't work especially well. It’s linked to old paradigm power structures and driven by a loss of connection with self.
To hold the frequency of truth as the world around us releases its distortions is a gift we can give each other. It’s an action that generates from the inside, and it takes stamina, maybe even stubbornness. However, it is invisible to most people. But thankfully, artists are here to make it visible, audible, and experiential.
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.
Creativity, and the magic of it.
As I look deeply at the beauty of a flower, paint via my paintbrush gets applied to the paper. It’s magical compared to dumbed-down, mundane reality. The feeling in the room is hard to miss. It’s palpable, and hearts open naturally. What’s that about? The natural and normal state of feeling connected? Probably. Imagine if that were the norm for everyone. I’d like to see that happen; wouldn’t you?
My Secret Watercolor Process
Watercolor, ironically, is the only medium I did not study formally. I was drawn to it for many reasons, including its affinity for flow and transparency. I instinctively chose my process, which I never could have learned in school. It’s non linear.
The secret to my technique is that there isn’t one. My technique is a no-technique kind of thing. I learned by doing, as I wanted to see something happen on my canvas. Everything else developed out of that, which is how it should be after you learn about materials and try many different things. But the meditation piece always comes first.
The Amazing Zone
Veils of illusion dissolve when we meditate, and what comes up is what’s being released. It’s never about you, me, or anything else, and some preparation for this is always a good idea. It’s not something that’s talked about in mainstream institutions.
Creativity is the powerful engine that makes things happen in the phenomenal world. The light we send out during the process returns and takes form. It can become artwork, music, a culinary dish, or a garden project, you get the idea.
The artist, in co-creation with Nature, chooses and directs, and in turn, we somehow know deep inside that we have a responsibility. We know about this, but we’ve kept it under wraps, hidden from even ourselves because, you know, the F word.
As a conscious creative, shadow material, not just ours, will be triggered in direct response to the engagement of our creative nature. It just comes with the territory. Why? Because following intuition necessitates self-responsibility, which, for the most part, people are ill-equipped for.
Deeply ingrained in most cultures is the aim is to keep members small and dependent, surviving on just a trickle of light. Safe, which is not so safe anymore. Old unspoken tribal rules are not to be broken and threats to security abound.
The hard work of undoing this has always been the job of artists and visionaries. But now it’s every ones job.
Doing what we love is disruptive.
Grow up and do something with your life is advice that has wounded many. Being told to leave behind what we love by someone we respect can be catastrophic. These forks in the road tell us to leave it or our tribe behind. Yet, with some good sense, a middle ground would always have been a possibility.
If we take the safe road and go against our hearts, we will always regret it. Something tailor-made just for us will crack us open, which can be very painful, especially in these fast-paced, spiritually quickening times. It is as unavoidable as death, and for some death is preferable to authenticity.
The creation process teaches us to be authentic, which is inherently disruptive to the status quo. Yet I believe, as do many others, that authenticity is the best thing you can ever aspire to. Those who prefer predictability disagree. —The F word again, which stands for fear.
The split.
Everyone has it. Quantum physics tells us we are both the observed and the observer. But how can we be both? The mind falls silent when we explore the true nature of reality. Theres no simple definition from our limited human perspective.
When left to our natural state of connectedness with ourselves and each other, we just know. And that knowing is preferable to belief because we have nothing to prove or think about. Instant knowing points to congruence, with the inside and outside in close alignment. The flow state.
Natural intelligence says we don’t plan every moment or project too far into the future. We go with the flow, balanced, and with a reasonable amount of intellect. Bumps and all, onward we go.
May the road ahead be smooth for you,
with plenty of room for beauty along the way.
—Leslie
Thank you for reading Muse News, Beauty in Your inbox, The Mind Behind the Artwork. I’m an independent artist, on fire for life and creativity. If you like what I’m doing, I welcome you to donate with a secure one-time donation any time you like. Your support is sincerely appreciated. Glad to have you along. —Leslie