Tuesday, November 29, 2011

suspended birdies



sweet little bird
where does your heart cry?
to the east or the west?
two heads
opposing
each side
shall you remain suspended?
still for the many passer-bys?
leaving them to
wonder
wonder
wonder
which
way you will
fly?
can you take to the air?
and still be one?
can you soar seamlessly?
without becoming undone?





Tonight I had little time, but wanted to get my hands in some clay. I grabbed a little bit and played with it in my hand..first it was an angel, then a pregnant woman, then a bird..
I didn't like how the bird's tail was coming along, so I ripped it off..and I found that what I had was a two-headed bird in my hands. It was a curiosity to me, and got me to thinking. I finished it off, deciding to turn it into an ornament, so I put the ball on the top with a hole to pull a string through it. I wasn't too sure if I scored the little ball well enough. I wondered if it would come apart later. When I went to go take a picture of my odd little bird, I saw on my itouch that I had taken these pictures of birds up above my head a few days before while walking to the holiday parade in downtown Beverly.
Then this little poem came to me as I thought about my hanging ornament and those suspended birds up so high..

Sunday, November 27, 2011

hello darkness

I did this quick sketch of my daughter's hello kitty on the couch in the almost dark..the only light in the room was from some christmas lights around a window. I wondered what it would be like to draw with less light, how I might be surprised by the marks I made since I wasn't able to really see them, how what I would see would change due to less detail, etc. etc. A fun little experiment..gave me an idea to use for a class, whenever I go back to teaching meditative drawing..

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Accept and Transform



I woke up this morning to the most beautiful sunrise. So I grabbed my camera a took a few shots. Then, while nursing my son, I was flipping through AEDM blogs on my itouch and happened upon wishstudio, run by Mindy Tsonas. Under her events listings I noticed she was having an open house today with an open art activity so I told my family, "we are taking a trip to Newburyport!" It was such a beautiful day here in New England, and Newburyport is a lovely place. We spent the day collaging and chatting..it was great fun. While getting to know Mindy and the broader world of online creative offerings (the ones she hosts all sound so cool..please, check out her events) I made the postcard above. Thank you Mindy, for your amazing offerings and inspiration!

Friday, November 25, 2011

What you See is What you (Do or Do Not) Get


I sat down to do a sketch of my daughter's dolls in her small rocking chair, but instead I started doing these energy drawings. This is what happens to me quite often. Automatically. I allow myself to continue, watching the marks form their way across the page. Then when the energy is released and I know I am done, I try to "see" what I have drawn. Tonight this phrase came to my mind; "What you see is what you get". Quite literal, huh? But the thing is, I don't get it so many times; I know I have to trust. When I thought about the not getting it, and wrote it in the title, (Do or Do Not) I was reminded of Yoda. Yoda said, "Do or do not; there is no try". So I will continue to "do", at the same time I "do not" and forget about the frustration that comes about when I think of trying to figure it all out. After all, this blog is called Drawing it Out, not Trying to Draw it Out. My husband works for an organization who's motto is: No mistakes. Just art. So there you have it; the art that came through me. I know, I trust it was no mistake.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Quickie Collage

Did this super quickie collage after a not-so-quickie clay class. I worked on my idea for making spiral plates, and it took a lot of do-overs before I got a small sample of something I was interested in. But I suppose that's how it goes sometimes...you work over and over on an idea, and sometimes you get something. Other times you rush rush rush, don't "think" at all, and something just comes spontaneously and seemingly effortlessly. Yup. Gotta love the process...

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Come As You Are

On Friday's plane trip to Philadelphia, I sat next to a young Harvard bio/chem student who was on her way to a graduate fellowship interview for a summer position in England. She was one of 13 finalists and 2 people were to be selected. She was very nervous and was reading up on current events to help prepare. She said she started reading up on current events three weeks ago and not focusing on her regular studies because in the interview process she may be questioned about her views on cultural and political issues, and that she really didn't know what was going on in the world. I heard the phrase from the song "Come as you are" by Nirvana in my head and acknowledged the message. But I asked myself, "should I say something to this young woman? Should I discreetly give her the message that I felt like I was receiving for her? How do I say, "I think you should just be yourself and let that person shine through"
Thing is, I could totally relate to her and understand how she might be feeling from my own experiences in life. But I didn't say it.

Often times I have realized that when we are receiving messages from Spirit there is a residual benefit that may be hidden or not so clear to us in the moment, but help us in our own healing. The significance of my meeting with the Harvard student did not come to me until this evening after I did this drawing.

I started by drawing what was in front of me, a view from my couch. The "D" is from a red bin for "Daddy's art supplies" and the "O" was for my daughter's bin. The "M" bin for "Mommy's art supplies" was obscured from my view. However, I soon got into an energy drawing and decided to just go with it. At the same time, I must admit, I had the tv on and was watching the very end of "The Good Wife". Case in point..a judge was telling Alicia, a lawyer, "sometimes you have to have the person you may view as a scapegoat take responsibility for their actions" While the judge was speaking of a case, the not-so-subtle message was also being given to the lawyer who was also having a moment of reflection on how it pertained to her personal life..(I can't believe I am talking about tv in this way..) So thank you, tv, for reminding me that sometimes we do not realize that when we speak about one person we may be inadvertantly helping someone else, and that person may also be ourselves..

To drive it all home, when I told my husband my frustration at doing these energy drawings sometimes and not completely understanding them, he told me to keep doing it. That by doing it I will learn more and get more out of it. No being mouse-y, mouse-y. And that's when it hit me. He was also telling me to continue doing what I was doing, to be myself, and let it come through. Yup. He was telling me the same thing I was feeling for the Harvard student. I was the Harvard student.

Yes, Spirit can give us messages, actually multiple messages until we "get it". I have been given multiple opportunities since coming to Massachusetts to "speak up" so to speak, and I have to say that being truly authentic in who you are can be scary as all get out. But scapegoating, or talking myself out of what feels true for me doesn't seem to be a feel-good option for me anymore. At least now I can recognize when this happens and receive the benefit from the interaction and the opportunity for growth that it gave me.

I have a clearer idea now on the significance of this energy drawing. And I was nervous and tentative about posting it, being afraid that somehow this would be exposing me in some way that was uncomfortable. But after writing this and reflecting on my experiences, I think the message here is a good one. Come as you are. Even when you are scared. Speak your truth. DO.